Return Of Crystal Karma [Limited Edition]

It's pretty amazing that when you first heard a person, almost 30 years ago, that 30 years later they can still amaze you, and actually sound better than what you loved them for in the first place.

This is the case with Glenn Hughes.

Everyone deserves a second chance, and hopefully the Red Hot Chili Peppers association with his new album SOUL MOVER (2005 - March 15th - it's already available in Europe), will give a much deserving musician/vocalist some notoriety and success. Some may say the Chad Smith/Dave Navarro inclusion on this new album makes it sound much like The peppers. But then again, they need to know that Hughes sounded musically like The Peppers back in 1974, when he was forcing Ritchie Blackmore to play 'shoeshine music' in DEEP PURPLE. Hughes hommages to Black Artists, and the huge influence they have had on him, has truly survived much longer than Blackmore's ignorance, and talent.

Which brings me to the reason you must purchase this album, even if it's for this one song.

THIS LIFE, written by Hughes and Hans Zermuehlen, I swear could be done by ANASTACIA, and be a hit. I'm only familiar with some of her material, but hearing 'This Life' was like hearing something she's been trying to do for years, and I swore that she had already covered it already. Checking through her catalogue, she hasn't yet. But she should. 'This Life' is one of the best songs in Glenn's career, but it's not the only shining moment on this CD.

It truthfully is an album with 10 tracks, that are all great. If one thing that attracts you to it is his 'Voice of Rock' claim, please do listen to those that say it. For years, my favourite vocalist in the 2-man vocal Deep Purple was Glenn. No offense to David Coverdale, but I just thought Glenn could have been the vocalist for Deep Purple MK III all on his own, and the recent release of the final DP tour in 1975, shows how talented this man is as a vocalist. I've gotten used to the fact that age often makes people lose the strength and range in their voices, which is totally expected.

I don't think Glenn Hughes knows that.

Because this guy is singing better than he ever did when he was 27, or 37.Glenn Hughes was born in Cannock, in Staffordshire, on August 21st 1952, which makes him British and almost 53 years old. Listening to this album, you would swear the man was hitting his mid-20's, so powerful is his voice. But voice does not make an album alone.

Return of Crystal Karma has an incredible amount of great material, from start to finish, including the aforementioned 'This Life'. It borders between heavy Funk, and Hard Rock/Metal, so SOUL MOVER and it's Pepper connection hopefully won't get criticism from that association. Hughes already sounding like this, as said before, in the 70's, particularly with his first solo LP ''PLAY ME OUT - 1977). The blending between Funk and Hard Rock is something Hughes has been doing for most of his life, and one addition to his tremendous voice is that he is one of my favourite Bass players. Having first heard him play on the MADE IN EUROPE live album with Deep Purple (1974), his influence on my bass playing was right there from the start. Another standout track in Bass is from the 1975 Deep Purple album ''Come Taste The Band'', with the Hughes & Tommy Bolin composition 'Gettin' Tighter'. A funk workout all it's own, easily as catchy as anything done by The Average White Band.

Glenn Hughes has had the fortunate ability to always hook up with a great guitarist and/or writing partner. His first was Mel Galley (in TRAPEZE), but his association with Tommy Bolin could have turned into something quite extraordinary, if not for drugs, and the unfortunate death of Bolin to heroin. Hughes had his own bouts with drug addiction, which plagued his career throughout the late 70's and 80's. It didn't stop him from meeting PAT THRALL, and together they recorded one of the best 80's 'metal' albums, entitled HUGHES/THRALL(1983). He then became associated with Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, though this wasn't as fully realised as it could have been, due to Glenn's problems at the time.

With Glenn Hughes now is JJ Marsh, who also works with him on SOUL MOVER. Marsh is a great guitarist and co-writer of songs, and Hughes, quite frankly, has been blessed in having such a talented musician work with him for 9 years now. R.O.C.K. is as much Marsh's album as it is Hughes's. Song after song, Marsh delivers what Hughes delivers vocally. The first 4 songs are Hughes/Marsh collaborations one after the other, and by the time you get to 'Switch The Mojo', you're wondering if they put it all in the first four songs just to convince you the whole album was worth purchasing.

They didn't.

An album full of great material, and right now I still think it edges out the new album SOUL MOVER by a song or two. Until you get to SOUL MOVER's ''High Road'', which as soon as that album gets released in the USA, I'm going to be pushing that song everywhere I go on the internet. HIGH ROAD should be in heavy rotation, and is quite literally, one of the best things Hughes has ever written. But you'll have to see when SOUL MOVER comes out in March.

Until then, please purchase Return of Crystal Karma. It's a man who has been doing music for over 30 years in the business, and he seems to be getting better and better the more time goes on.

Forget what they say about too old to rock and roll. That's all marketing anyway.

Glenn shows once again the power of his music in an album made of pure hard rock. Like in Deep Purple years, his voice has power, melody and the charisma of the greatests hard rock voices of the world. Is not another more album of Glenn Hughes, is his best and more powerful album in his career.

Oh...I`m astonished!!!! This must be the ultimate album ever recorded by an old star in music. I think of many of the old rockers that try to make new records without sucsess but this is on top of anything. Hughes is playing and singing like he never have done and the songs are just tremendous. That man is a genius!!!! He has created a album that is better than most records of today!!!