SOUL DOCTOR – That’s Live!

Soul Doctor is a Melodic Rock band heading out of Berlin, Germany. Since their beginning they have released four strong albums and are now sending out another effort on the music market; a live album entitled That’s Live. This is an essential release featuring their most known songs so far as well as a new song from their latest studio album Blood Runs Cold.

Their music is characterized by a very Bluesy Heavy Rock sound that gets you from the very beginning of “Blood Runs Cold,” which is the opener of the set. The band is tight and plays their songs with a groove that transfers to you as well; can’t stop your foot stamping the beat. The beginning of their set is dominated by some very fine songs such as “Under Your Skin” and the wonderful Power Ballad “See You In Heaven.” Singer Tommy Heart does an incredible job, showing off his fantastic voice through the 13-song long CD, you won’t get tired! Many Rock fans out there may be aware of that it is he who is the singer for the legendary German Melodic Rockers Fair Warning as well. Not to forget the rest of the band, which do also play their very best. The “show” moves further into the grooving “Laugh In The Face Of Danger,” which follows in the energetic footsteps of the two first songs on the album. Before going into the more laidback song “Unspoken Words,” up comes the very weak moment of this record; an absolutely insignificantly guitar solo. The solo is nothing less than totally unnecessary. Guitarist Chris Lyne doesn’t show anything interesting, he plays sloppy and repeats himself all the time. However, that’s not all! The solo lasts for almost three minutes, which feels way to long; you’ll be begging for an end while listening to it. The bands title track “Soul Doctor” is one of the last songs and lasts for about 9 minutes. Yes, it’s a great song, but adding the never-ending guitar solo in the end was just too much, especially when the guitar work doesn’t do anything else besides bore you.

That’s Live is a great album, but it feels a little bit fake as well. This is not the recording of an entire show, but all the shows between 2005 and 2007. It’s a fine way to save the material on CD, but unfortunately the sound varies a bit and that is maybe the dark side of doing the recording this way. They got the material from every show the previous three years and then picked out the greatest performed songs. Some would be pleased by that, but it doesn’t feel like a live record. On the production side, it’s just fine, although there’s a bit of variation between the songs that are not from the same show. It’s not that noticeable, but can be heard. All in all, it is a fine album featuring some great material from the band’s career, but it’s not a must-purchase. You can live without it.

1. Blood Runs Cold
2. Under Your Skin
3. Good Times Slippin’ Away
4. Temptation
5. See You In Heaven
6. Eatin’ On Me
7. Laugh In The Face Of Danger
8. Goodbye
9. Unspoken Words
10. Get It On
11. What Do U Want
12. Soul Doctor
13. Just Can’t Get Over You