Rock 'n' Roll My Soul

Out of the multitude of singers that Michael Schenker has worked with over the years, the one that many fans would agree is best suited for the German six-string shredder's brand of hard rock is singer Gary Barden. After all, Barden's vocals graced Schenker's classic early efforts (1980's Michael Schenker Group, 1981's MSG, etc.), and the singer returned back to the group in the early 21st century. Also during this time, Barden launched a solo career, and in 2010 he released his fourth solo effort overall, Rock 'n Roll My Soul. Instead of an album of all originals, Barden opts to go the "all-covers route," something that just about every single classic rock act has done by now. It turns out that Barden's favorite rock era was the late '60s/early '70s, as the album is chock-full of covers from the era, including selections from Deep Purple, the Faces, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, among others. For those expecting radically reworked versions of the original versions, no dice — for the most part, Barden sticks closely to the originals' structures, as evidenced by Deep Purple's "Never Before" and "When a Blind Man Cries," plus the Faces' "Stay with Me," and he even replicates the lush symphonic flourishes of the Beatles' ballad "The Long and Winding Road." As with nearly all covers albums, it was undoubtedly a gas to record, but it's certainly not a must-hear (outside of the most ardent Barden fanatics).