Paul Stanley Live To Win CD

Personnel: Paul Stanley (vocals, guitar, percussion, background vocals); Paul Stanley; Andreas Carlsson (guitar, background vocals); Greg Kurstin, Zac Rae (piano); Harry "Slick" Sommerdahl (keyboards, bass guitar, programming); Russ Irwin (keyboards); Sean Hurley (bass guitar); John Shanks, C.C. White (background vocals); Corky James, John 5 (guitar); Victor Indrizzo (drums).
Recording information: Henson Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA.
Photographer: Neil Zlozower.
Nearly 30 years after his 1978 self-titled debut, Kiss singer/guitarist Paul Stanley issued his first solo album without his signature "Starchild" make-up, LIVE TO WIN. Featuring contributions from former Kiss member Bruce Kulick (on bass) and guitarist John 5 (Marilyn Manson/Rob Zombie), the record consists largely of mid-tempo hard-rock tunes, most notably the pounding and thematically uplifting title track. Much like Meat Loaf's BAT OUT OF HELL III, released around the same time during 2006, LIVE TO WIN is a fine example of a veteran rocker refusing to rest on vintage material.
Despite what some may believe, Live to Win is not Paul Stanley's solo debut. That honor goes to 1978's Paul Stanley (which was released in conjunction with solo releases by the three other Kiss members), an album so Kiss-like that the singer's full-time band could have easily stamped their logo on it and issued it as the studio follow-up to 1977's Love Gun. Nearly 30 years later, Stanley is ready to step out on his own again, and this time around, it's not the arena anthems you'd expect. In its place is a modern-day mainstream pop/rock production, which effectively smoothes out all the rough edges. In fact, the title track would sound perfect sung by an American Idol finalist (or wouldn't be out of place in an episode of Fame), while the ballad "Loving You Without You Now" treads dangerously on Barry Manilow territory. Elsewhere, mainstream pop/rock reins supreme ("All About You," "Wake Up Screaming," "Where Angels Dare," etc.). Despite the fact that much of this material will leave longtime fans of "Detroit Rock City" and "I Stole Your Love" scratching their heads as to where the cojones went, there's no denying that all these years later, Stanley is still in fine voice. A little more grit and much less polish would have certainly helped here. ~ Greg PratoEntertainment Weekly (p.72) - "80s hair-metal-style power ballads like 'Second to None,' co-written with hitmaker Andreas Carlsson, are sleek and catchy..." -- Grade: B-