by Paula Edelstein
David Bryan's solo piano recording Lunar Eclipse is an absolutely beautiful, stunning, melodic collection of songs culminating his 17 years as a founding member of Bon Jovi. The pianist/composer/vocalist has sold over 90 million albums as a member of the acclaimed rock group and the compositions on this CD reveal a truly different side of his piano and MIDI orchestration mastery that should translate all over the world. The CD opens with "Second Chance," a song about his own "second chance" after a potentially career-ending injury to his finger; this is among the compositions the rock prodigy has written for a Broadway musical based on characters of the Sweet Valley High book series. "I Can Love" is an instrumental version of a song Bryan wrote for a project called Memphis, a theatrical play based on the life of the DJ Dewey Phillips. Bryan's playing on this song is profound and bluesy, and has a rootsy kind of vibe that is sure to please his legions of fans. ...