HARTMANN – Out In The Cold +1 (2013)

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Alongside the ‘best of’ compilation ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’, HARTMANN’s new label is reissuing his debut “Out In The Cold” originally appeared under his full name Oliver Hartmann.
“Out In The Cold +1” features the bonus track “Rescue In My Arms” which was previously only available on the Japanese pressing.

“Out In The Cold” easily positioned itself as one of the Top 10 Melodic Rock / AOR releases in 2005.
Coming from a power metal act as At Vance, none had any idea what kind of an album Oliver Hartmann would deliver as solo artist. Well, it resulted into a brilliant mix of moody Melodic Rock songs and heartfelt ballads, with a couple of breezy feel good hard rockers in between. Every track offers something different and the whole sound of the album is a world away from what Oliver was best known for.
“Out In The Cold” is driven purely by the craft of great songwriting and that aspect along with Hartmann’s powerful, yet accessible vocals is what makes this album so good.
Produced by Sascha Path & Hartmann, this recording sounds like a million bucks, not one single note is out of place. Well placed harmony vocals add extra texture and impact to the already potent choruses and string arrangements throughout give the album an amazing intensity.

All starts with the foot-tapping melodic hard rocker “Alive Again” driven by a moving riff and an instantly catchy chorus showcasing the range in Hartmann’s voice with some fine backing vocals in the background.
The angst ridden semi mid-tempo title track “Out In The Cold” follows, with a burst of strings bravely offering the opening notes. Another musical blast in the form of guitars gives way to an acoustic driven verse, which in turns leads to a full band chorus which is backed with more strings and a moody, emotional and powerful vocal.
“Brazen” begins with an acoustic guitar and offers another highly passionate vocal. The songs builds to one of the most passionate choruses I’ve heard in many moons. The track grows in intensity as it goes and the last minute is something to behold.
“The Same Again” raise the pace again with attitude and a definite sense of urgency surrounding it. The aggressive chorus gives the listener no reason to doubt. Next, “I Will Carry On” is an utterly brilliant ballad backing with soaring vocals and even more string arrangements. The vocals are just perfect with a raspiness mixed with a strong soulful feel.

Every song is a winner on this album, but none more than the uptempo, pure melodic rock anthem of “What If I”. This joyous, uptempo melodic rocker with huge harmony vocals has a chorus which catapults the song into a modern day classic.
“How Long” is a more straight ahead hard rocker pumped by kickin’ beat, followed by “The Journey”, the second proper ballad of the album and another great sentimental track with a soft vocal that guides the song along. The chorus takes some time to appear, but works really well in context.

The tempo and style changes a little with “Who Do You Think That You Are” which has one of the toughest guitar riffs of the album. This is a dark, moody and quite hard mid-tempo rock track with an aggressive heart.
“Listen To Your Heart” heads back into the feel-good uptempo, rockin’ vibe of the opening track and What If I. This is pure melodic rock and yet again features another great chorus that makes it an album highlight.
One of the best tracks on this already classic album is “Into The Light”. This six minute epic ballad is as haunting as it is beautiful and the melodies throughout send shivers up your spine. The extra orchestration and the glorious backing vocals make this yet another example of songwriting genius.
Bonus track “Rescue In My Arms” is a wonderful melodic acoustic piece, something that Hartmann would successfully develop in the upcoming albums.

Just signed by a new label and working on a new album, the just released compilation and this reissue of “Out In The Cold” are a wise move to present Harmann to all Melodic Rock / AOR fans who missed this talented artist until now.
The ‘best of’ is more than a proper compilation with a really well done selection to give you a fair summation of Hartmann and his band’s career thus far, but this “Out In The Cold +1” is a must have in its own right.
This is a very special release and deserves to be checked out by every reader of this site. These fantastic songs are made even better by an amazing performance, tangible energy and an indubitable gusto.
A Must Have.

01 – Alive Again
02 – Out In The Cold
03 – Brazen
04 – The Same Again
05 – I Will Carry On
06 – What If I
07 – How Long
08 – The Journey
09 – Who Do You Think That You Are
10 – Listen To Your Heart
11 – Can You Tell Me Where Love Has Gone
12 – Into The Light
13 – Rescue In My Arms (bonus track)

Oliver Hartmann: Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards
Armin Donderer: Bass
Bodo Schopf: Drums
Jurgen Wust: Keyboards
Miro Rondenberg: Strings Arrangements

Remastered by Miro Rodenberg at Gate Studio, Germany

BUY IT !
www.amazon.co.uk/Out-Cold-Hartmann/dp/B00EO2WWJW
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