There is a clue to part of Don Airey's inspiration behind his new solo album A Light In The Sky which is tucked away right at the very end of the cover notes. He writes, ‘it is said that God himself is a musical note, the sound of which pervades the entire universe’.
My generation’s resident genius, Pete Townshend drove himself to near madness exploring this theme before giving us the memorable, ‘there once was a note pure and easy’. It’s a line of thought that is as deep as the universe itself.
The other clue is more immediately obvious. The artwork for A Light In The Sky is full of images reflecting Don's lifetime interest in astronomy, and the universe, that endless unknown mind bender of a subject. Adding all of this together signifies that Don Airey, legendary keyboard maestro, has delivered an album that journeys out into the cosmic.
He explains, "I have a telescope and I know my way around the sky. I must own nearly sixty books about the creation of the universe, the birth of stars, and planetary systems. So in some ways I'm musing about what we're doing here on Earth,"
Taking time off from his day job with Deep Purple, Don is joined on the album by Thunder trio, singer Danny Bowes, bass player Chris Childs, and drummer 'Harry' James. Also helping out were bass player Laurence Cottle (Alan Parsons, Eric Clapton), long-term friend and guitarist Rob Harris (Jamiroquai), violinist Lidia Baich, and drummer Darrin Mooney (Primal Scream). Carl Sentance (The Geezer Butler Band, Krokus) also adds his excellent vocal skills.
Apparently Don also insisted that each guest was actually in the studio with him for the recording. He says in the promotional handout, "just about everything is a first or second take. All of the Hammond playing and most of the synth and guitar solos were recorded live. I knew I didn't want to make one of those Fileshare albums in which everyone sends their parts by email".
Let's face it, when someone of the caliber of Don Airey calls you really should respond straight away. After all, his skills can be heard not only on Deep Purple, who he joined full time in 2003 replacing Jon Lord, but also with Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, UFO, Rainbow, Judas Priest, Jethro Tull, Brian May, Gary Moore, and a whole load more.
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