Rainbow | DIFFICULT TO CURE | CD

Rainbow includes: Joe Lynn Turner (vocals); Ritchie Blackmore (guitar).
Personnel: Joe Lynn Turner (vocals, background vocals); Ritchie Blackmore (guitar); David Rosenthal, Don Airey (keyboards); Bob Rondinelli (drums); Roger Glover (percussion).
Recording information: Sweet Silence Studios, Cophenhagen.
DIFFICULT TO CURE features Rainbow's third and final vocalist, Joe Lynn Turner, whose prettier image and more subdued vocals lend themselves to this 1981 release. "I Surrender" is the album's featured single and the group's bid at FM success. Richie Blackmore's riffs are less evident and the background vocals and slick production are symbolic of the era. "Spotlight Kid" is a return to rockin' form, and features wonderful interplay between Blackmore and keyboardist Don Airey. The group's transformation from metal to rock is evident in the Billy Squier-sounding "No Release." "Can't Happen Here" expresses the sense of paranoia so common in an increasingly technological world. The drumming by new member Bobby Rondinelli's may more about power than precision, but he is relentless on "Freedom Fighter." The band closes the record with a dip back into its past with the epic title track. Though DIFFICULT may not appeal to fans of the band's early material, it stands on its own as a fine hard-rock album.

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop
• Released: 05/25/1999
• Released: 5/25/1999