Hartmann Balance 2012

Seems like every maestro of AOR are all out this year for a masterpiece album. This month we received Oliver Hartmann with his newest, Balance. This is pure AOR and Melodic Rock album. Hartmann is ex singer of At Vance and frequent guest singer at many notable project, as in Avantasia, Aina and Daniele Liverani’s Genius. So, expect a top notch voice for this promising album before you even heard it.

The standard arena / on stage feel intro fill All My Life opens our fancy album. This is the standard AOR song, the verse serves well to the explosions of chorus. Hartmann sing in the most inspirational voice here. We also quickly arrived at second song, Like A River which is starts as mellow rock verse then developed into memorable Like A River chorus. You Are The One is the running bass and moderate tempo.
In the middle parts is Save Me, a very 80s guitar melodic intro. Then From A Star started the slow section of the album. The song more fill with variations over rock and AOR theme such as acoustic, country, soul style put in.

Together his band, Oliver Hartmann write most of the songs here. The first section are intended to get heavy and rock. Notable is producer Sascha Paeth. This is more an AOR album with several general style put in as a bonus. If you love strong voice over the rock song, Oliver Hartmann have this kind of magic to let you enjoy this album without much worry.

Hartmann - Balance 2012
buy it here

01. All My Life
02. Like a River
03. You are the One
04. Fool for You
05. After the love has Gone
06. Save Me
07. Fall from Grace
08. From a Star
09. Dance on the Wire
10. Shout
11. Time to face the Truth
12. The Best is yet to Come

Dario Ciccioni  Drums
Oliver Hartmann Vocals
Armin Donderer Bass
Jürgen Wüst Keyboards
Mario Reck Guitars

All songs written by Oliver Hartmann except "Like A River" and "From A Star" written by Armin Donderer and "Shout" written by Roland Orzabal & Ian Stanley

Produced by Oliver Hartmann
Mixed by Sascha Paeth
Mastered by Simon Oberender

Additional musicians :
Jürgen Wüst : Keyboards on "Fall From Grace"
Xaver Fischer : Keyboards on "After The Love Is Gone"
Tiffany Kirkland : Backing Vocals

Hartmann Photography composition base cover art album