The Living legend sings for a new global consciousness on his new album. Really.
Not one to let William Shatner steal his thunder by collaborating with cutting edge rock stars, David Hasselhoff – the man who, lest we forget, single-handedly brought about the fall of the Berlin Wall – is about to issue a new album that frankly boggles the mind.
Hasselhoff’s music career is already the stuff of legend, of course, but his new album Open Your Eyes is, to quote the rather breathless press release, the sound of a “passionately earnest pop star singing for a new global consciousness in these difficult and troubled times”. Yes, if anyone can bring about unity and peace, it’s the man who sang Jump in My Car.
The title track of Open Your Eyes, a cover of a Lords of the New Church track, features former Stooge James Williamson and has a video that includes footage shot by fans in an #eyesforHoff campaign. As you might expect, it’s quite something – perhaps the most remarkable music video you’ll see this year.
The album itself includes songs originally performed by Echo and the Bunnymen, Modern English and David Bowie – yes, you finally have the chance to hear the Hoff doing his own definitive version of Heroes. Collaborating on the tracks – that also include such epoch-shattering, socially conscious songs as Sweet Caroline and Sugar, Sugar – are a positively bewildering collection of collaborators that includes Ministry, Todd Rundgren, Charlie Daniels and A Flock of Seagulls.
You can buy the album on red vinyl or CD, the latter format coming complete with a ‘Hoff Army’ patch, which could be resposnsible for killing the battle jacket revival stone dead, or perhaps will make everyone want one. Nothing makes sense anymore, so who knows?
The album is relesed on September 27th. The Hoff is touring Germany, Austria and Switzerland in October to promote the album and mark the 30th anniversary of his destruction of the Berlin Wall.
