Artist: Hartmann
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2007
36-year-old German Oliver Hartmann, a multi-instrumentalist, is best known as a member of the metallers At Vance! Before that he was busy with the prog rock project Centers, who released two albums in their three years together (1995 – 1998). Oliver Hartmann’s vocals can also be heard on albums by the likes of Avantasia, Genius and Rhapsody. After four albums with At Vance, Oliver left the band for personal reasons, first and foremost to focus on a solo career.
Oliver Hartmann caught the crowd off guard right away with his debut “Out In The Cold” (2005). The real strength of this singer lies in his distinctive tone of voice, which, unlike his metal-tinged past with At Vance, comes across far more magnified and expressive now in melodic hard rock! A warm, emotive, velvety voice that even gets close to the qualities of Jorn Lande.
Technically speaking, this is definitely a strong album, and the same goes for the production (Sascha Paeth). The overall feeling as you make your way through the running time is that this is an album with sharper rock edges, even though it opens with the atmospheric, mid-tempo rocker Coming Home To You, which has just the right anthemic touch for an opener and sends your expectations soaring as you listen. That more direct, atmospherically dreamy, dramatic moment of the opening somehow gets lost over the course of the record, even though it shows up again at track number 3 on “Home”, the balladesque My Everything Is You. Hence the verdict that “Home” doesn’t stress the emotive side as strongly as the debut managed to. The songs have the required qualities, the knack for combining melody and punch is there, and the vocal expression of this excellent singer sits front and center, just where it deserves to be.
It’s interesting how quickly this album came together; the excitement over the debut had barely even settled. And that’s not great, unless of course you have the gift of shocking the masses with every single creative musical move you make, the way those divine messengers David Bowie and Peter Gabriel do so masterfully. “Home” doesn’t surprise anymore, it doesn’t get the drool flowing, and as a result it’s nowhere near as fresh or bold, and it doesn’t reach the level of emotional depth of the debut. “Home” is not a debut, though it would be interesting to read a review of this album if it were. As it is, listening leaves a certain emptiness, which may well be the product of disappointment at what we got compared to the standards set by the debut. In short, “Home” doesn’t surpass its predecessor, even though Hartmann treads the tried-and-tested recipe here once again, and it’s a quality hard rock album that he really has no reason to be ashamed of. It just feels a little overcooked.
Lineup
Oliver Hartmann – vocals, guitar
Mario Reck – guitar
Juergen West – keyboards
Armin Donderer – bass guitar
Dario Ciccioni – drums
Production
Sascha Paeth & Oliver Hartmann
Track list
1. Coming Home To You
2. The Sun’s Still Rising
3. My Everything Is You
4. Somewhere Someday
5. Just For You
6. I Don’t Want To Know
7. Higher Than Me
8. Why Do I
9. Millionaire
10. Crying
11. Lay All Your Love On Me3
Album length: 47.56
