Ken Tamplin - Soul Survivor (2021 Girder Records, Remastered CD) 30th Anniversary
- 2021 Girder Records
- Release Date: January 29, 2021
- Legends of Rock
- 30th Anniversary Edition
- AOR / Hard Rock
- Originally released in 1991
- 6 Panel with Lyrics in Jewel Case
- Remastered by Rob Colwell (Bombworks Sound)
DESCRIPTION
30th Anniversary Edition. Remastered by Rob Colwell. 6 panel jewel case with lyrics.
Soul Survivor, originally released (1991) 30 years ago. It's Tamplin's sophomore/second project after SHOUT. It came after his first solo album, AXE TO GRIND, which is actually a Ken Tamplin and Friends project. So this could technically be considered is first solo project, but honestly, who cares as long as it rocks, and that it does.
It starts off with a strong harmonic blues rocker called Media Mania. Don't let the "blues" tag scare you, it really kicks into a full-throttle rocker in no time. Don't sleep on this. I know that words like "blues" and "artrock" could be scary for metalheads, but I can promise you that this album kicks butt. Even the second songs starts with a capella intro that is creative but left rockers scratching their head in 1991, but after all these years it comes off more genius than anything, because the song really picks up and moves you. When song 3 and 4, HARD TIMES COMIN' and STAND UP, drops those guitars on this remastered CD will bring a smile and fist pump from every rocker. But the song TAKE IT NOW, kicks it into overdrive for sure although Tamplin would leave most of the guitar playing to Steve Van Zen and concentrate on vocal histrionics. SOUL SURVIVOR is more AOR in the likes of BOSTON or JOURNEY mixing hard tracks like “Take It Now (or Nothing)” with more artrock meanderings like “(I’m Gonna) Live Forever.”
- Media Mania 4:17
- (I'm Gonna) Live Forever 3:36
- Hard Times Comin' 3:37
- Stand Up 4:29
- Midnight 'N Peru 3:15
- Take It Now (Or Nothing) 3:09
- Love's Eternal Road 4:16
- Stay By My Side 3:25
- Come And Save Me 4:02
- Heart And Soul 3:07
ABOUT KEN
Ken Tamplin is the pop-metal master who played, sang, and wrote songs for the Christian bands Shout and Magdallan. While with the latter group, he also began a solo career. A musician’s musician (and first cousin to Sammy Hagar), Tamplin is widely known and respected within the general market—especially for his incredible four-to-five-octave voice, arguably one of the best in rock and roll. He is able to count Peter Frampton, John Entwistle (of The Who), Jeff Lynne (of ELO), and Robin Zander (of Cheap Trick) among his fans. An advertisement for 1993’s Tamplin included testimonials to the artist by members of Boston, Foreigner, Kiss, Mötley Crüe, Ratt, and Toto. Tamplin was brought up in a Christian home and began playing guitar at the age of six. When he was twelve, he almost died when a homemade rocket exploded in his presence; years later, he would still describe his recovery from this accident as “a medically documented case of miraculous healing through prayer.” Nevertheless, he was quick to backslide and spent the next year of young adolescence dealing cocaine and other drugs. Four overdoses on angel dust kept him in touch with mortality and, at fourteen, he says, he finally recommitted his life to Christ and has “been on fire for him ever since.”
