Live In Anaheim

For decades, Ian Gillan has been considered one of hard rock/heavy metal's most recognizable and celebrated vocalists. Although he'll always be best known as the frontman of Deep Purple, he's been known to release solo discs and perform solo shows when the mood hits, as evidenced by the 2008 double-disc release Live in Anaheim. Recorded on September 14, 2006 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA, the live album features a track listing that mixes in Deep Purple classics along with solo Gillan songs. Which is expected, as the album Gillan was touring in support of, Gillan's Inn, contained re-recordings of songs from throughout his career. And while Gillan's Inn was a "special guest fest," the singer had a set band of musicians for the supporting tour. As a result, you'll find strong renditions of such Purple classics as "Into the Fire" (arguably one of the group's heaviest tunes) and of course, "Smoke On the Water," as well as such solo Gillan classics as "Unchain Your Brain" and "Trouble" (the latter a Leiber & Stoller cover). Also included is a fine reading of the tune "When a Blind Man Cries," which comes as a pleasant surprise, because despite the song being one of Purple's best (and certainly most soulful) ballads, it fell through the cracks, thanks to it not making the cut for Machine Head. All these years later, Gillan's voice remains mighty and strong, and is certainly capable of living up to the legend, as evidenced throughout Live in Anaheim. ~ Greg Prato