A deeply personal album of genuine beauty.

If he had only ever played the intro to 'Tarot Woman' or the solo in 'A Light In The Black' on Rainbow's uber-classic 'Rising', then Tony Carey's status in music would have been assured without ever recording another note. Fortunately, Carey's contribution doesn't start and end in 1976. Over the ensuing decades he has written and recorded nigh on thirty albums – both as a solo artist and with the classy Planet P Project – covering a wide palette of styles from Melodic Rock and futuristic Electronica to instrumental efforts which showcase not just Carey's adept keyboard skills but also reveal a warm, emotive voice and a rare song-writing talent.

'Lucky Us' is Carey's first solo release in over eight years, and it's a deeply personal album exploring his family life through ten beautifully played, moving tracks that are based around his piano and voice with some occasional orchestration. 'Hawkeye Road' opens the release with a wistful look back at his carefree days as a child, a tale told in such vivid splendour that it'll surely take a fair few of us on the journey with him. 'The Wind', which features a haunting piano refrain and achingly exquisite vocal, shimmers with a delicate beauty that will bring a small tear to the eye; this may well be the saddest song of the year.

The title-track puts Carey's first meeting with his future wife to music in a moving, genuine way that avoids the pitfall of being overly sentimental. Carey also tackles his health struggles in 'Hallelujah (I'm Alive)' where his battle and ultimate defeat of cancer is laid bare. 'Johnny Boy', a tale of a soldier who never returns home, is framed in a simply gorgeous melody which finds the pain of the family truly conveyed through the music as Carey's vocals crack with anguish – it's powerful stuff.

Those hoping for a modern-day rerun of Rainbow's 'Rising' will be better served digging out that very record again. However, anyone looking to see how a musician can grow and develop over the years to produce such a deeply personal album of genuine beauty, then 'Lucky Us' deserves a place in your collection.

Mick Burgess