Lunar Eclipse

JazzTimes - "...Graceful piano work....a pleasantly surprising solo effort..." Q - 3 out of 5 stars - "...Largely playing piano instrumentals, Bryan manages to create compositions that stand up in their own right rather than presetning a collection of pieces that are merely excuses for showing off virtuosity..."

David Bryan's solo piano recording Lunar Eclipse is an absolutely beautiful, stunning, melodic collection of songs culminating his 17 years as a founding member of Bon Jovi. The pianist/composer/vocalist has sold over 90 million albums as a member of the acclaimed rock group and the compositions on this CD reveal a truly different side of his piano and MIDI orchestration mastery that should translate all over the world. The CD opens with "Second Chance," a song about his own "second chance" after a potentially career-ending injury to his finger; this is among the compositions the rock prodigy has written for a Broadway musical based on characters of the Sweet Valley High book series. "I Can Love" is an instrumental version of a song Bryan wrote for a project called Memphis, a theatrical play based on the life of the DJ Dewey Phillips. Bryan's playing on this song is profound and bluesy, and has a rootsy kind of vibe that is sure to please his legions of fans.
Bryan's classical training is apparent throughout, but the songs "It's a Long Road" and "April" tie for first place as truly great songs in terms of theory, execution, melodic phrasing, and musical motifs. They are absolutely beautiful. On "Up the River," Bryan entices the listener with a trance-inducing fusion of melodic synth sounds and exotic drumbeats. The diversity of styles and compositional forms -- waltzes, pop, classical, blues, R&B, rock -- on this CD is astounding, and reveals just how much musical knowledge is within Bryan's soul. There are 14 excellent instrumental compositions with an added bonus of a rare vocal performance of the hit "In These Arms" that Bryan co-wrote with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora for this great CD. Because of their emotional beauty, all of the songs have the potential to bring tears of joy to listeners' eyes; Lunar Eclipse is truly a great way to discover the "softer side" of David Bryan. A definite must-have. ~ Paula Edelstein|