Ronnie Atkins (Pretty Maids)

[ChaNoir]

Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to announce the release of Danish vocalist Ronnie Atkins Official
's new solo album, "One Shot". The acclaimed Pretty Maids
and Nordic Union
vocalist will release his new solo album on March 12, 2021. Fans can get their first taste of music with today's release of the track 'Real'. Listen on your favorite streaming service at the link below or via YouTube HERE:
Pre-order/save "One Shot", including limited edition color vinyl, HERE: https://orcd.co/oneshot (Frontiers EU and US Shops, as well as Nordic retailers, will have an exclusive Yellow vinyl. JPC in Germany has an exclusive Translucent Blue vinyl. For U.S. customers, the limited edition color vinyl is not available from Bandwear. It will be available for you to pre-order upon the imminent launch of our NEW U.S. store.)
"To be honest, I initially had no intention to do a solo album to begin with, but for various reasons and in particularly my own personal health situation I finally decided to have a crack at it," says Atkins.
"Around Easter 2020 and only some six weeks after I was told that everything seemingly looked very positive for my health, I was unfortunately diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and told it was incurable, which was devastating news for me. Needless to say, that was a total game changer and I went into kind of a panic situation for a while! But when the dust had settled. I realised there were two ways to approach the situation. I could sit down, accept the facts, and feel pity for myself or I could pull myself up, set some goals, pursue my dreams, and carry on living! And with fantastic back up from my family and true friends, I went for the latter!" continues Atkins.
With the global pandemic shutting down touring for the foreseeable future, Atkins knew a tour promoting the latest Pretty Maids album, "Undress Your Madness" (2019) was not going to be in the cards anytime soon. Suddenly, the timing for working on a new solo album seemed to have presented itself.
"Well, I couldn’t change the facts by any means. The whole world was on a lockdown and the future prospects of concerts were very uncertain and still is to this day! Basically, that meant that if I was gonna carry out the idea of a solo album, it had to be now since I don't necessarily have all the time in the world. I had all these ideas recorded on my iPhone that I felt were too good to never see the light of day and I was writing a lot at the time to help ease my frustrations," tells Atkins.
Ronnie's next step was to connect with producer (and Pretty Maids bandmate) Chris Laney to begin the work of putting these ideas together into songs. Chris is overseeing production, Jacob Hansen will mix, and musicians appearing on the album include, in addition to Laney, Allan Sørensen, Morten Sandager, Pontus Egberg, Anders Ringman, Pontus Norgren, Kee Marcello, Olliver Hartmann, John Berg, Linnea Vikström Egg, and Björn Strid.
"Not being able to handle the recordings myself since I’m old school and a complete idiot when it comes to IT, Pro Tools, etc. I hooked up with my PM friend and firesoul Chris Laney, who literally cheered me up and convinced me to go ahead with it. So, I decided to get moving and literally recorded my ideas on either piano or guitar and with a mellotron click to keep the beat and the accompanying vocal. Then I would send these along to Chris, who did the instrumentation in Stockholm and would then send back demos to me. Then, I recorded the vocals first, which is totally the opposite of what you’d normally do, but based on the uncertainty of my health situation, I wanted to get them down. After that we did the basic tracks, drums, guitars, keys, backing vocals, etc. Odd way of doing it, for me at least, but it worked. And so, this procedure slowly moved on during the summer and finally turned into an album of 12 new songs," explains Atkins.
"I wouldn’t have been able to carry out this project without the enthusiasm of Chris, who has been my constant partner in this project from day one. On top of that, I had the pleasure of working with a variety of great musicians/singers such as Pontus Norgren, Kee Marcello, Olliver Hartmann, Pontus Egberg, Linnea Vickström Egg, Björn Strid, and at last, but not at least, my PM relatives Allan Sørensen and Morten Sandager," continues Atkins.
"Musically and lyrically this album has been a different process for me, considering everything going on. Musically, it could have gone in various directions. It’s always a question of what you want it to be. A good song is a good song, so it’s really a matter of how it is packaged. But I decided to make it appeal to the fans, the supporters who’ve been following me for almost 40 years, so this is basically a melodic rock album with a heavy twist. Lyrically, it also has a different approach. I found it hard to write about sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll, etc. due to the situation I’m wrapped up in, so I guess it turned out a bit more personal and maybe melancholic at times. But it reflects my thoughts at the given time these lyrics were written," concludes Atkins.
While the creation of "One Shot" is bittersweet for a variety of reasons, it's nonetheless another thoroughly wonderful melodic hard rock offering from one of the masters of the genre. Look for it in March 2021!
Tracklist:
1. Real
2. Scorpio
3. One Shot
4. Subjugated
5. Frequency Of Love
6. Before The Rise Of An Empire
7. Miles Away
8. Picture Yourself
9. I Prophesize
10. One By One
11. When Dreams Are Not Enough
Line-up:
Ronnie Atkins: Lead and backing vocals
Chris Laney: Rhythm guitars, keyboards and backing vocals
Allan Sørensen: Drums
Morten Sandager: Keyboards
Pontus Egberg: Bass
Acoustic guitars: Anders Ringman
Lead guitars/solos: Pontus Norgren, Kee Marcello, Olliver Hartmann, John Berg, Chris Laney
Additional backing vocals: Chris Laney, Linnea Vikström Egg, Olliver Hartmann, Bjørn Strid
Produced by: Chris Laney
Mixed by Jacob Hansen
https://www.facebook.com/RonnieAtkinsOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/ronnie_atkins_official

[Everflow]

C'est la bonne attitude, créer jusqu'au bout.

Avec plusieurs membres de Pretty Maids, actuels et anciens, on reste en famille.

[Dave]

Si ils ont le temps et que la santé de Ronnie est bonne je pense qu'il y aura aussi un nouveau Pretty Maids assez rapidement

[Everflow]

Une chanson probablement adressée à sa femme.



There is magic in this room tonight
Like a lucid vivid dream
Everywhere and in between
An enchanted sense of pure delight
Like an inner state of grace
Everything falls into place
Like all the rivers
they are floating into one
It’s making sense
there’s meaning to it all
Tonight our love is shining brighter than the sun
This is our call
Just think about it

One shot One life

One chance to throw the dice
And we can’t waste another day no
One love two hearts
One go to play our parts in life
What if Tomorrow is too late
This is perfect and it feels so right
We cannot let it pass
Our fortunes made of glass
And I see it
when I melt into your eyes
Whatever road we take
I will suffer for your sake
Embrace the moment
we are living in the now
In a heavenly place
a realm of blissfulness
Feel the rapture of the love that we’re allowed
Within ourselves

CHORUS

And tonight we roam in paradise
A higher love so beautified
When one is all and all is one
Like the essence of a fairy tale
The kind of love that couldn’t fail
The journey that has just begun

[the fab]

Je ne suis pas fan du morceau mais si ça l'aide dans son combat tant mieux.

[Everflow]

[Everflow]

[ChaNoir]

[MDT]

Je le trouve pas mal du tout cet album
En fait c'est du British Lion mais en beaucoup mieux

[metal militia]

En grand fan de Pretty Maids, je trouve l'album très bon. Bien triste ce qui lui arrive. J'aimerais pouvoir le revoir en concert mais ça ne risque pas d'arriver.
Quelle belle carrière en tous cas.

[Everflow]

[MDT]

Encore un très bon titre.
Meilleur album de hard rock de l'année pour moi!
Je l'écoute toujours avec plaisir

[Everflow]

Un EP acoustique.

The EP consists of one unreleased studio track, "Carry Me Over", and three acoustic tracks. All three acoustic tracks, "When Dreams Are Not Enough", "One Shot'" (Orchestra Version) that was originally available as a bonus track in Japan with the album One Shot.

Watch a video for "Picture Yourself" (Acoustic) below.

Stream "Picture Yourself" (Acoustic) and pre-order/save the EP on CD & Digital here. Please note, the CD version of the EP is available exclusively from the Frontiers EU and U.S. webstores and is limited to 500 copies worldwide.

“'Carry Me Over” was in fact the first song I wrote after I was told my cancer was back in March 2020. It was written when I hit rock bottom mentally and emotionally and in a very hopeless and frustrating period of time in my life. That’s pretty obvious when you listen to the lyrics. So, when I had to decide which songs were gonna go on the album "One Shot", I deliberately decided to leave “Carry Me Over” out for two reasons. One being the fact that, you know, I simply thought the lyrics were too sad/depressing and that’s not what I wanted to signal to the fans. Second, I felt it would tip the balance on the album. However, I still think it’s a beautiful melody!! Melancholic indeed, but also very honest and therefore I can back it up at any time. That’s how I felt and that was the state of my mind when I wrote it," says Atkins of the studio track "Carry Me Over".

"Today, I’m in a different place, not diagnosis wise really, but I feel good and I guess I’ve somehow learned how to adapt to the situation and deal with it. Thanks to immunotherapy, a positive mindset, and, not the least of which, the almighty God, I’m still here," he concludes.

The EP was produced and mixed by Chris Laney, co-produced and arranged by Anders Ringman, and mastered by Jacob Hansen. It was recorded during 2020 at Hansen Studios, Laneyland Studios and Platform CPR.

[Everflow]

[Everflow]

Il n'a plus de temps à perdre et sort déjà un autre album solo :

PRETTY MAIDS singer Ronnie Atkins, who is battling stage four cancer, will release his new studio album, "Make It Count", on March 18 via Frontiers Music Srl. The music video for the LP's first single, "Unsung Heroes", can be seen below.

"Make It Count" will arrive almost one year to the day after the release of Atkins's last solo album, the critically acclaimed "One Shot".

Atkins stated: "Me and my great team of musicians followed exactly the same procedure as we did with 'One Shot', since I still feel a bit like I am racing against time because of my diagnosis. So, I basically sent my songs to Chris [Laney, producer], who would then work on a demo. When we were satisfied with the arrangements, I would then record the vocals and then the individual musicians laid down their tracks. I already had quite a few ideas from when 'One Shot' was released back in March 2021 and continued writing on and off through the spring and summer of 2021. The album was then recorded between April and October 2021

"Let me also state that I felt pretty good during the whole process, at least physically," he continued. "And this time, I had the chance to actually meet with some of the musicians in person because the COVID-19 restrictions were not as tough as they were back in 2020 when we recorded the last album."

As for the songwriting process, Ronnie said: "Once again, it was quite an easygoing process. Some of the songs were written on piano and some of them on guitar. I write the way I write, which means that the melodies and toplines are the first priority. If I feel I got a good song with the right chord structure and a strong melody that sticks in my head, then I know I'm on to something good and from there it can only get better. And that's when I send it on to Chris Laney, who then listens to it with a new set of ears and comes back with his input about the arrangement and additional little bits and pieces. As said, it is an easygoing process since we're on the same page and that's a great way of collaborating. Style-wise, it's basically just melodic pop/rock songs, so to speak, that we turn into something suitable for those who followed me all those years. To me, a good song is a good song and then it's a matter of how you wrap it up."

He continued: "Finally, the great thing about doing this is that I don't have to argue with anyone whether it's too pop or too lightweight, etc. I do what I do 'cause that's what I like and I'm my own boss for these solo albums and therefore also the only one to take responsibility if it doesn't live up to people's expectations. But this is what I wanna do at this stage of my life and I think I'm convinced that 'Make It Count' is a great melodic rock album and I hope the fans won't be disappointed."

As to the lyrical themes on the album, Ronnie said: "The lyrics are always the hardest part of an album from my perspective. It's way easier for me to write a song than a lyric, to be honest. But, of course, it varies. Sometimes you already have the title and the topic when you're writing the song and at other times you're just out of ideas. This time, it was tough at times since my health issues are somehow in my subconsciousness 24/7. No matter what I do, I'm being confronted with it every day one way or the other. So, some of the songs are touching on this issue, of course, can't help it. That said, I'm also trying to give it a positive twist, meaning that we just have to get the best out of life and love the one we're with while we're here. It's just impossible to write about sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll or whatever living with a life-threatening disease and a dagger hangin' above your head. Or it is for me, at least. So, bottom line, I guess the lyrical content on this album is partly about the aforementioned topics, the climate, and in general, topics that make sense to everyone without being political."

Recording lineup:

Ronnie Atkins: Lead And Backing Vocals
Chris Laney: Rhythm And Lead Guitar, Keyboards
Allan Sørensen: Drums
Pontus Egberg: Bass
Morten Sandager: Keyboards
Linnéa Vikström Egg: Backing vocals
John Berg: Guitars
Oliver Hartmann: Guitars
Pontus Norgren: Guitars
Anders Ringman: Acoustic guitars

Track listing:

01. I've Hurt Myself (By Hurting You)
02. Unsung Heroes
03. Rising Tide
04. Remain To Remind Me
05. The Tracks We Leave Behind
06. All I Ask Of You
07. Grace
08. Let Love Lead The Way
09. Blood Cries Out
10. Easier To Leave (Than Being Left Behind)
11. Fallen
12. Make It Count

[aimé]

Comme MDT, je dois reconnaître que j'ai accroché plus que je ne pensais.
j'espérais quelque chose d'intéressant mais ça va bien au delà. Facile à écouter sans manquer de relief.
Surpris aussi par la vidéo de Frequency of love. Certainement des acteurs professionnels... que je ne connais pas.

En revanche je m'attendais pas à un nouvel album solo. Malheureusement ce qui aurait dû être une bonne nouvelle ne l'est pas complètement. Terrible cette pochette.

[Chimay]

Effectivement, le dernier album solo était bon et passe régulièrement dans ma platine
Au delà de sa maladie, je suis surpris qu'il ne se soit pas penché sur un nouvel album de PRETTY MAIDS plutôt que de repartir sur un album solo, certes PM n'a pas pu défendre leur petit dernier "UNDRESS your MAdness" mais mise à part la sortie d'un bouquin retraçant leur carrière, pas de nouvelle.
Autre interrogation, parmi les Guests de l'album solo figurent certains membres de PM mais absence du co auteur Ken Hammer

[Everflow]

[metal militia]

Top ce titre! il reste bien dans la caboche. Bonne intro, chant puissant. Il n'y a que le solo que je trouve un peu en décalage avec le reste de la chanson. Pas mauvais, juste inadapté.

[Everflow]

Une chanson de passion.
Quelques réminiscences de "Savage Heart" de Pretty Maids (la version piano) je trouve.

[Everflow]

[Everflow]

EP symphonique constitué de 4 chansons du dernier album :

Respected Danish hard rock singer/songwriter, Ronnie Atkins, released his latest studio album, Make It Count, on March 18, 2022. The electrifying melodic hard rock masterpiece came almost one year to the day after the release of Atkins' last solo album, the critically acclaimed One Shot.

And now, as he did with One Shot, Atkins is releasing an accompanying EP for Make It Count. The Symphomaniac EP, which will be released on November 18, features orchestral versions of four tracks from Make It Count.

A lyric video for "Let Love Lead The Way" (Orchestra Version) is out today. Watch it below, and pre-order/save the Symphomaniac EP here. The CD version is exclusive to the Frontiers US & EU webstores and is available in limited quantities.

[metal militia]

Il est très prolifique....compte tenu des circonstances....

[the fab]

A cause des circonstances. A vrai dire, ça me fait de la peine et j'ai du mal à écouter ce qu'il fait.

[ChaNoir]