What can you really say about Bruce Kulick; a former member of MEAT LOAF, GOOD RATS, KISS, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD and BLACKJACK (with Michael Bolton), not to mention many other endeavors under his belt? And besides that he’s an all around nice guy. Kulick was born December 12, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York (my own birthplace) and he is about to release his third solo album, this time on Twenty 4 Records/Rocket Science Ventures. “BK3” is released February 2, 2010 and the legions are waiting in anticipation.

Bruce has recruited many high-profile artists such as Gene Simmons, John Corabi, Steve Lukather, Tobias Sammett, Doug Fieger and Eric Singer to help out, plus we have the debut of Nick Simmons, which in total has added a wide variety to each and every track. So I am not sure this is considered as a true solo effort because to me it’s more of a compilation record.

The standard release has eleven tracks with an exclusive bonus track for Europe called “Skydome”. The lyrics by Kulick are mostly life experiences and written from the heart, so get ready for the ride.

The opening tune “Fate” is reminiscent of KISS’s “War Machine” but has a faster beat and is an excellent beginning that shows Kulick’s mastery of heavy guitar riffs and it is just one powerful opener.

Gene Simmons takes over lead vocals on “Ain't Gonna Die” and it’s in your typical Simmons style; slow at times but Gene knows how to jump octaves at the precise moment. I also loved the addition of some keys/strings and Kulick just goes off on this one.

One of my favorite tracks is “No Friend of Mine” which is sung by John Corabi. It starts off with some acoustics and features killer melodic guitar work by Kulick. It’s sort of a rock ballad that hits the senses.

“Hand of the King” is the debut vocal appearance of Nick Simmons. I thought Nick handled the song very well and not surprisingly his vocals were very good. I am not going to sit here and say he went out on a limb with any high-pitched vocals but he did have some good clean vocals, which I feel in time can develop.

First off I loved the lyrics of “I'll Survive”; a self-biography about Bruce’s shooting incident in 2003 where he was shot twice. Bruce’ vocals remind me a bit of Ace Frehley. The track I’m sure is a self-medicating track and has a late seventies vibe. I also loved the background vocals too.

“Dirty Girl”’s lead vocals are handled by Doug Fieger (THE KNACK). I was just waiting for Fieger to breakout into “Good Girls Don't", but Fieger stayed true to his roots and did a killer job. This is one of the more classic tunes on the record that will bring you back to times of great vocals and powerful rhythms.

My favorite track on the CD is “I'm The Animal” which features Tobias Sammet (EDGUY) and Eric Singer. What a phenomenal track that has that “element” needed for any artist to have released it as their single. Vocally killer, musically amazing and guitar that smokes and is full-throttle pumping!!!

Kulick steps it up vocally on “And I Know”. I thought other tracks he sung on were a little laid back but that is Bruce. On this one he shines.

“Between The Lines” is next and Steve Lukather and Bruce must have had a great time with this one trading off leads with each other; two legendary guitarists at their best. I feel a Steve Vai influence on this one.

The final track, “Life”, Bruce again takes lead vocals and the song has a folk feeling or even a “soundtrack tune” feel. The song also has a bit of a country flare and was a bit of a change from Kulick’s rock roots. It was a good change though!

A most enjoyable release for me and I’m sure most fans will get the same feeling.