I had a really nice time with this one. Not because of its musical 'taste' (related to what a music fan wants read in a Hard Rock/Heavy Metal webzine) but because of the calmness it created for my brain cells. Of course, on the other hand, you can recognize Michael Kiske starring on this one (assume you didn't know what you're hearing) only if you remember some of the man's singing in Helloween's Chameleon (1993, EMI) album's tranquil moments e.g. the Windmill song or the Always ballad from his first solo album ten years ago.
Not that much is widely known concerning this charismatic singer's musical life after his departure form the German legendary pumpkinmen. Mostly we tend to bring in mind flashbacks regarding his statements for not willing to sing Metal songs anymore, while at the same time he made guest appearances on Edguy, Avantasia etc albums in the last years - even the Place Vendome project was 'heavier' than his wants. Anyway, I remember buying his first solo effort, Instant Clarity (1996, Raw Power) both out of curiosity for his new career plus for the guest appearance of Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith (then out of Maiden, too) and Kai Hansen himself. A goodie, not impressive though, it marked the desire of the handsome German boy to focus on the melodic stuff, leaving aside the high-pitched, crystal clear miraculous results of his Helloween past. The sophomore album, Readiness To Sacrifice (1999, Metal-Is), is of complete non-knowledge to me.
Who else? Frontiers Records releases the 'somewhere-far-beyond' blonde singer's new album and - even for the 'sound' standards of such a label - this album is too 'Pop'. Slow tempos, acoustic/classic guitars, sweet beautiful vocals and simple guitar solos are all you can get from an album like Kiske. The cover artwork speaks for itself. No need to add something else. A personal record for diehard Kiske fans no matter what he sings.
Kiske (year 2003/2004) issued - among other various statements every year - an official declaration guaranteeing I will only make Pop music in the future! No comments from me; he's sincere. Yet, if you wanna test your boredom...