Search - Rainbow :: Stranger in Us All

Stranger in Us All ~ Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (updated)

Talking Nigro | Oss, NL | 02/10/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This album isn't so bad, it's kinda good. Especially the guitarplay. The singing isn't so good at all, not real bad, but I can't listen to that man's voice for very long. I think if Joe Lynn Turner(old Rainbow singer) would sing on these songs it would be a lot better, altough, he lost his voice so he can't sing so good anymore. The drumming isn't so spectacular either. The drummer plays very basic and doesn't do so much that impresses me. Now the good side of this album. All the songs are good except for 'Hunting Humans', that song is boring. 'Stand And Fight' and 'Too late For Tears' are two songs that are kinda similar. Those songs are nice to hear, but not really great. All the songs left are great. My favorite song of this album is 'Black Masquerade'. That song was nominated as the best song of the year(1995). Well, it surely is the best song of that year. I can't think of a song of 1995 that is better, can you? Probably not, I think. If you like hardrock then this album is something for you. I hope I helped you with my review...



That was my review on February 10, 2006.

It is April 16 now, and I need to make a change. I said I didn't like the singing of Doogie White, that was true, but not anymore. Now, on April 16 2006, I don't agree with that anymore. I do like the singing. Doogie White is my least favorite vocalists of all Rainbow vocalists, but he doesn't sing bad at all. I still agree with the rest I said on February 10 2006, so I hope this review is now even more helpful then it was before."

Proof That Rainbow Ended in 1980

Andrew DiGelsomina | Creation Croatia | 08/16/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I laugh like crazy when I read some of the reviews of this depressingly mediocre album. "Best Rock Album Ever", "Best Since Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow", ad nauseum. The way I see (and hear) it, anything having to do with the original Rainbow vision died after Cozy Powell and Graham Bonnet left. This album proves it.



Stranger in Us All is a notch above the Joe Lynn Turner years of Rainbow...but let's face it, that is saying precious little. The aforementioned singer, Doogie White, has himself stated that this album was poorly executed and took too long to make. The songs themselves are, besides Wolf To the Moon, forgettable. I do admit that tracks like Black Masquerade, Hunting Humans and Ariel were far, far better live. In fact, I would reccomend buying one of the several dvds that document this era of Rainbow. Blackmore's live playing is re-energized during that period, and White often comports himself very well. But this album is worth having only for die hard collectors. Blackmore's studio playing just sounds too stifled by the excessive studio production values.



The whole album sounds like somebody THOUGHT too much about it, without any concurrent progression in the music composition itself.



Basically, this album features Ritchie Blackmore (the greatest guitarist in Rock/Metal history); Doogie White, a singer of about the same caliber as Joe Lynn Turner (read: really good, but playing along way too much with Blackmore's Paul Rodgers fixation), and an anonymous trio of backing musicians. Actually, I'm being way too hard on Turner, who sounded about 100 times better as a singer after he was unceremoniously dumped from Rainbow (right up to today he sounds really good!). Doogie White had his moments, especially live in the '90's. But I can't hold him up to classic Dio, Bonnet, Gillan, Halford, Eric Adams...neither from a voice nor songwriting perspective.



The lyrics on this album are just horrible from ANY standpoint. I don't usually come down hard on Rock/Metal lyrics, but there just doesn't seem to be anyone actually TRYING here. Again, that's a curious fact, considering how long it took this album to make.



So, get this if you're a diehard (I, a righteous Blackmore diehard, own it and never play it); but if you want something that resembles the 1975-1980 Rainbow, you've come to the wrong place. Get the Rockpalast or other available dvds of this era instead, they're much more worthwhile.



"

Come on people this is just WEAK!!!!!

Stephen B. Sumemrlin | Austin, Texas United States | 09/12/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Ok Ritchie quit Deep Purple for the last time in 93 which ment he would go and revive Rainbow. Awesome right? Wrong! The songs on this album are very weak. The album starts out good with Wolf To The Moon but that is the only good song on here. Everything else on this stupid coaster is just bland, boring and cheesy. Honestly Rainbow haven't put out a good album since Long Live Rock And Roll. When Dio left thats when Rainbow went downhill. Ritchie decided to sell out and become commercial with his music and he hired that joker Grahm Bonet to sing on Down To Earth. Awful album because it was so commercial. I had heard when Ritchie made this album it was no commercial effort so I got curious an obtained a copy of it. I would say this album is better then Down To Earth but not by much because this has just one good song on it. Down To Earth had Zero. Now if Ritchie stops playing the wondering minstrel with his wench girlfriend and gets back with Dio to rock Rainbow again then thats what I want to hear. It will probably never happen but I can hope. I don't see why this album is ranked so high. This album just isn't that good. I'm giving it two stars just for Wolf To The Moon. The rest is pure garbage. If I want to hear Rainbow I'll just stick with the Dio years. This album gets a D+."