DARBY MILLS – Flying Solo + Live [Bad Reputation remaster 2 Classic Albums On 2 Discs] (2026) *HQ*

320_1 /// 320_2 /// HQ 1 /// HQ 2

She is one of the finest Canadian Rock singers, she fronted for 36 years celebrated melodic rockers Headpins recording 3 albums, and she did backing vocals of countless ’80s records. Some years ago, DARBY MILLS felt it was now or never.
Taking a leap of faith she was set on the path to find herself and rekindle her passion. In Aug 2016 Darby performed her last gig with the Headpins and The DARBY MILLS PROJECT was born. With the release of a collection of solo material titled “Flying Solo” it was the perfect moniker to her new endeavors.
But she also released in 2018 “Live”, The DARBY MILLS PROJECT full band recorded and produced by award winning recording engineer Ron Obvious.

Originally only released in Canada, we featured both albums in exclusive at 0dayrox back on 2018. Now Bad Reputation Records is releasing ”Flying Solo + Live [Bad Reputation remaster 2 Classic Albums On 2 Discs]”, both albums remastered and into one package.
The disc ‘Flying Solo’ consists of songs recorded by Darby Mills during the ’80s / early ’90s, released under the ‘Darby Mills And The Unsung Heroes’ moniker, long time out of print. All the material has been remastered for the first time, and sounds million bucks! This is prime Canuck Melodic rock / AOR, with songs co-written by Stan Meissner, Bruce Turgon, Tom DeLuca, etc.
On the “Live” disc fans will love the energy, vibe and passion exuding from Mills and her steadfast army of rock n’ roll veterans.

Four songs were co-written with Canadian AOR guru Stan Meissner. Just listen to “Cry To Me”… this is pure AOR of the highest order, plenty of keyboards and sublime vocals by Mills. And then ‘Never Look Back’ (Stan Meissner / Bruce Turgon)… killer pulsating AOR to die for! Total stabbing keys and anthemic chorus.

But there’s more pearls. The entire album is a shining diamond.
Midtempo ‘Give It All Up’ is pure melodic rock gold, and if you need a hard rockin’ edge just taste ‘Bad Bad Boy’ co-written with another talented cat, Tom DeLuca. ‘Someone Turn The Light On’ is the best AOR ballad Fiona never recorded, and we find more bite on the killer melodic hard rocker ‘Want It’, full of terrific guitars.

Once you sink your teeth into the first musical bits of “Flying Solo”, you’ll know you’ve found a gem. Easily among the best female fronted AOR ever recorded, all the songs on this CD are fantastic. Why Darby Mills as solo artist never became a household name is beyond me.

Like a glass of finely matured red wine, Darby Mills has ventured back to her passion. And folks, I can see why she’s properly called “The Queen of Scream”. But don’t be fooled, Mill’s Live performance is not about screams, but an incredibly show ranging from powerful melodic pipes, velvety whispers, and smooth harmonies.

The Darby Mills Project “LIVE” is an amazing collection of songs delivered with fire, passion, and terrific energy. It’s top class melodic rock / classic rock. Think a mix of Heart / Ann Wilson, Sandy Saraya, Robin Beck, Fiona – you get the picture – with a lovely ’80s feel, but in fact, timeless Rock n’ Roll music.
Do yourself a favor and don’t miss this stupendous Live album.
HIGHLY Recommended

Disc 1
01 – Don’t Stop Keepin On
02 – Hot Water
03 – Cry To Me
04 – Give It All Up
05 – Never Look Back
06 – Run
07 – Monkey
08 – Someone Turn The Light On
09 – Want It
10 – Bad Bad Boy
11 – House On Pooh Corner (previously unreleased)

Darby Mills – Vocals
Corey James Phillips, Burke Ehmig, Scotty Hall – Guitar
Shelley Andrushko, Doug Edwards, Dennis Marcenko – Bass
Paul Minshall – Keyboards
Dave Pickell – Keyboards, Drums
Jeff Slewidge – Drums
Jim McGillveray – Percussion
Dave Buckthorp, Darcy Letendre, Gord Maxwell – Backing Vocals
Marc Lafrance – Backing Vocals, Claps

Disc 2
01 – Want It
02 – Run
03 – Feel My Body
04 – Hot Water
05 – Brother Louie
06 – Cry To Me
07 – Piece of My Heart
08 – Monkey
09 – I Got The Music In Me
10 – Natural Woman
11 – Just One More Time
12 – Don’t it Make You Feel Like Dancin’
13 – Bad Bad Boy
14 – Turn It Loud
15 – Don’t Stop Keepin’ On
16 – Hair of the Dog

Darby Mills – vocals
Randy Gabel – guitar, backing vocals
Ricky Renouf – bass, backing vocals
Doug Rasmussen – keys, backing vocals
Ed Cliffe – drums, backing vocals

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