Ronnie Atkins (born Paul Christensen), the famous singer of Pretty Maids, and later of Nordic Union, has already a long career behind him. It is indeed forty years since his favorite band was born. Fourteen albums later, the 50-year-old decided to release his first solo album. "One Shot" is the name that the Dane wanted to give it.
The frontman learned last spring a very bad news which leads him to fight since then against an advanced cancer diagnosed incurable. Until then reluctant to work on a work alone, but not being able to hope to go on the road to defend the latest production of Pretty Maids, he wanted to give himself a goal. "One Shot" is born. Chris Laney, the Maids' keyboardist, accompanies him in this adventure, as well as bassist Pontus Egberg (Treat, ex-The Poodles), drummer Allen Sorrensen (ex-Royal Hunt) and a long list of guitarist friends. The first named is also in charge of the production, Atkins claiming loudly that he owes him his enthusiasm to build this project which would not have been born without him.
Less built on the power that we can find in Pretty Maids' work, this "One Shot" is nevertheless full of the melodies that the Horsens combo offers. However, don't be mistaken, this production doesn't go as far as to pour in the AOR. "One Shot" is a work that proves to be more personal than those that the Dane usually offers, guided by his states of mind of a man on borrowed time. And the listening of the album takes then a very particular dimension...
The melodic flights proposed here provoke in their very great majority an ambivalent emotion. This one galvanizes us and makes us want to mix our voice with Ronnie's, but it also diffuses melancholic effluences reminding us how cruel the unacceptable is. We feel the need to give him the strength that this talented artist deserves. If it was necessary to glorify some tracks of this linear opus in its qualities, we could mention the eponymous track, very close to the sounds to which House Of Lords accustoms us, the catchy 'Frequency Of Love', the strong FM 'Real' and the sparkling 'I Prophetize' which undoubtedly reminds us Pretty Maids.
Let's give thanks to this "One Shot" which allows us to find with a furious pleasure Ronnie Atkins. This friend, who since four decades only wants us good, has once again given us a beautiful album marked by his inimitable mark. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this solo opus will be followed one day soon by a "Second Shot". That would mean that our favorite Dane is still with us.