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What do the critics say...
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Reviews THE REAL THING
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From Edwin van Hoof at Hard Rock Haven
Comments: Christain Tolle is known in the AOR melodic scene for a couple of years now, prior to his Better than Dreams debut CD. The man has abeen working as a journalist for many years and built a tight web of contacts, reigning from Lukather (Toto), to Michael Thompson and Tim Pierce. All names that must ring a bell with you adepts. CTP's debut cd Better Than Dreams was released in 2000. It got excellent reviews and feedback from the press, media and the AOR community. Five years following the release of his acclaimed debut, it is now time to continue with this awesome melodic hammer release! On The Real Thing Christian again delivers 10 songs that feature a refreshing variety of modern Rock with the key ingredients that boosted AOR acts like TOTO and melodic rockers like TEN, FIREHOUSE, etc. From the hard hitting opener "Enemy," to the more midtempo creeper "The Flow," the westcoast influenced "On And On," to the stadium rocker "The Real Thing" (hurray!), all songs are melodic, catchy and powerful. With "First Time," Tolle even delivers a powerful rock ballad that can easily compete with gems from acts like PROPHET, HONEYMOON SUITE, BILOXI, WINGER and FIREHOUSE. A real tearjerker with soaring vocals and powerful shreds from Christain on guitar. By far one of the best rock anthems of 2005 must be the remarkable title track, that warps us back to the '80s and would have been a hit single for sure. Revving it up with his shreds, while John Kuijpers (AYREON) is colouring it perfectly with his excellent voice.The track simple sticks humming in your brain for many, many weeks. Songwriting was a team effort once again. Christian wrote with high profiled names like Darin and Lauren Scheff, Steve Barnes and Amy Antin. The impressive list of guest musicians gives the album a very special flavour. The Christain Tolle Project features such elusive names as TOTO's Steve Lukather, Doug Aldrich (WHITESNAKE, DIO, BAD MOON RISING, etc.), Chuck Wright (HOUSE OF LORDS, GIUFFRIA, QUIET RIOT, IMPELLITERI, TED NUGENT, etc.), Lauren Scheff, Harold van Gestel, Pit Hupperten, Stephan Scheuss, Thomas Heinen, Philipp Artzt and John "Jaycee" Cuijpers. "The Real Thing" was mixed by Dirk Brouns at Studio Maasland in Born, the Netherlands, and mastered by Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering in Ohio, USA, giving the songs the right depth and warmth and a crispy crystal clear sound. It is released on Tolle's own label CTM and is available at his site and some mailorder dealers such as AOR Heaven in Europe or Crusin' Music in Japan.
CHRISTIAN TOLLE claims fame with this awesome melodic rocker. The album is a must for fans of good old melodic rock acts like WINGER, STRYPER, TEN, SABU, FIREHOUSE, KISS, etc. Packed front to back with tracks that are top notch, and an impressive list of guestplayers that uplift the overall feeling to this disc. On top of that, the album is a true at heart tribute to the sounds of the glory days of rock, without ever sounding dated or over the top. HRH Rating: 8.9/10
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From Andrew McNeice at Melodicrock.com
I would have preferred to get to this review earlier, but better late than never… Christian is a good songwriter and this; his new solo album captures 10 interesting songs and some memorable performances. The album features a warm earthy vocal and a strong guitar sound which switches from modern/contemporary to classic/melodic. When it rocks (Enemy, The Flow) is does so with energy and when it turns melodic (The Real Thing, On And On) it does so with soul. The production is strong and the mix very clean – high quality for an indie release. Style may vary – it's a very diverse album that also takes in some groove and some southern rock, but it is always consistent. Guest stars include Doug Aldrich, Lauren Scheff, Chuck Wright, Steve Lukather and Tim Pierce. Of particular interest to Toto fans will be the inclusion of a cover of the Lukather solo track Swear Your Love. Comparing it to anyone is difficult, so sample it if you are into strong guitar performances with vocals to accompany. (84%)
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From Stelios Basbayiannis / Metal Invader
This guitar player came to me as a surprise, after I read a review for him at the AOR Heaven website. I bought the album, mostly for the participants as Steve Lukather, Tim Pierce, Chuck Wright, Doug Aldrich are musicians of class. All of them participate in some degree to his songs and give this extra little thing the songs needed to become masterpieces in their own kind. The album is in the vein of TOTO, HARDLINE, UNRULY CHILD and Tolle is an excellent songwriter. He proves that through the ten songs of the album, where he moves from the West coast AOR to the heaviest blues rock/AOR forms of the last TOTO albums. He knows how to take the best of his musical partners creating a pleasant hard rocking melodic rock album that will be an ideal companion of all you TOTO maniacs out there. It is recommended as an excellent, well produced album for all melodic rock fans.
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From Albert Wienen / Aardschock 11/2005
Christian Tolle is een Duitse journalist die tevens in de loop der jaren zijn sporen heeft verdiend als muzikant. In 2000 verscheen het debuutalbum onder de titel 'Better Than Dreams'. Daarna bleef het vijf jaar stil rondom hem maar na vijf jaar is er dan nu toch een opvolger onder de titel 'The Real Thing'. Opvallend aan het nieuwe album is de grote diversiteiten aan muziekstijlen die op het album een plaats hebben gevonden. Muzikaal bewegen de composities zich ergens tussen AOR en melodieuze hardrock maar alle composities hebben een ding gemeen en dat is melodie. Dat 'The Real Thing' in eigen beheer is opgenomen en zal worden uitgebracht zegt in dit geval niet zoveel. Door zijn contacten als journalist heeft Christian Tolle niet de eerste de beste muzikanten bereid gevonden om hem een handje te helpen. De lijst met muzikanten is imposant met namen als Steve Lukather (o.a. Toto), Doug Aldrich (o.a. Whitesnake en Dio) en Chuck Wright (o.a. Quiet Riot en House Of Lord). 'The Real Thing' bevat tien tracks en heet een totale speelduur van net 40 minuten. Rating: 84
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From Birgitt Schwanke / ROCK IT! Das AOR * Hard Rock * Metal Magazin 06/2005
Christrian Tolle meldet sich mit seinem zweiten, wiederum in Eigenregie produzierten, Album zurück. Geboten werden wiederum 10 Tracks für die Zielgruppe von TOTO. Mit einem für einen Independent-Release ordentlichen Sound versehen, überzegt das Album durch überwiegend starke Songs, die meistens im Mid-Tempo-AOR angesiedelt sind. Das Schlagzeug ist evt. der einzige Schwachpunkt an dieser Platte, denn das könnte noch etwas mehr Druck vertragen. Neben Tolle sind als Gäste dieses Mal u.a. Chuck Wright, Tim Pierce, Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake), Steve Lukather und Lauren Scheff zu hören. Die musikalische Ausrichtung dürfte also klar sein. TOTO-Fans dürfen sich äußerst angesprochen fühlen. Zu bestellen ist die CD entweder beim Künstler direkt auf www.christiantolle.com und u.a. über den AOR HEAVEN-Mailorder.
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From Chris Lambert / Rock Report (Sept. 15th, 2005)
In 2000 this German journalist and musician surprised me a lot with his debut solo album, which was called “Better Than Dreams”. For a moment I thought he had disappeared from the scene, but obviously I was wrong, because here I have his second album and according to the title it should be “The Real Thing”. If one thing is for sure, it would be the diversity of the new album. Although “The Real Thing” only counts ten tracks, the variety in the material is striking. One can say that Mr Tolle has found the perfect balance between AOR, melodic hard rock and (a bit of) westcoast. Just like on the first album, ‘melody’ is the keyword that ties all songs together. The songwriting was a team effort once again. This time Christian wrote with Amy Antin, Steve Barnes, John Cuijpers and Darin & Lauren Scheff. A fine team, if you ask me, but the same can be said of the guest musicans who were invited into the studio. Christian was joined by skilled people like Maurice Adriaens (g, k), Doug Aldrich (g), Philipp Artzt (d, k), John Cuijpers (v, bv), Thomas Heinen (bv), Pit Hupperten (v, bv), Steve Lukather (g), Tim Pierce (lg, rg), Lauren Scheff (b), Stephan Scheuss (v, bv), Harold van Gestel (bv) and Chuck Wright (b). Self-produced, the result is another professional sounding album, full of catchy songs, often provided with an unexpected dose of power. Although he doesn’t take the lead much, Tolle’s guitar play is controlled in every song. He certainly knows what parts can be done better by one of his friends/guitarists and believe me, they all shine. Although the lead vocalists may not be that famous, they all do a fine job. Fave tracks for the moment: the rocking title song “The Real Thing” (sung by Hupperten), the westcoast-flavoured “On And On” (sung by Scheuss) and the power ballad “First Time” (sung by Cuijpers). Conclusion: Christian Tolle has surprised me for the second time in a row. This man deserves to be signed on the spot. Album # 3 in 2010? As far as I’m concerned, it may be a lot earlier… Latest news: Cuijpers and Tolle have joined forces in Cooper Inc., which is Cuijper’s band.
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From Josef Urbanek / Gitarre Bass 10/2005
Er ist wirklich ein leidenschaftlicher Musiker, ein fähiger Koordinator & Produzent und ein sehr guter Gitarrist: CHRISTIAN TOLLE hat mit seinem PROJECT ein wirklich gutes Mainstream-Rock-Album eingespielt, Musik in bester US-Tradition. Neben einigen prominenten Gastmusikern (Doug Aldrich, Steve Lukather, Tim Pierce) verfügt Christian über eine komplette Studio-Band, viele gut arrangierte, runde Songs und eine beachtliche Stilsicherheit. "The Real Thing" (ctm) ist ein wirklich gelungenes Pop-Rock-Album (ju).
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From Rock Tribune in the Netherlands
Het moet niet altijd veel zijn om goed te zijn. Kwantiteit vs. kwaliteit, weet je wel? En laat dat nu iets zijn wat deze journalist/muzikant uit Leverkusen heeft begrepen. Zijn eersteling "Better Than Dreams" dateert al van 2000, en nu, 5 jaar later is daar eindelijk de opvolger. De man heeft het duidelijk niet nodig om er zijn chocolade op de dagelijkse boterham van te betalen. Zijn debuut sloeg nu niet meteen in als een bom, gezien de undergroundstatus van het genre, maar dat het een kwaliteitsschijf was, staat als een paal boven troebel water. Met deze "The Real Thing" doet de brave man dat nog eens rustig over. In de loop van zijn carrière bij Fachblatt (een Duits vakblad voor muzikanten) heeft hij natuurlijk hier en daar wel wat stermuzikanten leren kennen en sommige daarvan doen mee op dit fijne plaatje. En dan nog niet van de minste indien namen als Steve Lukather (Toto), Chuck Wright (Giuffria, House Of Lords, Quiet Riot .) & Doug Aldrich (Dio, Whitesnake, Burning Rain, .) U iets zeggen. Veel schoon volk dus en dat kun je eraan horen ook. Evenals het debuut wordt hier weer een zeer divers, hypermelodieus plaatje afgeleverd. Het bevat een leuke mengelmoes van melodieuze rock & AOR plus een beetje Westcoast om alles op temperatuur te houden. Fans van eerste twee bovenvermelde genres zullen zich hier beslist geen miskoop aan doen. Echter, daar dit een indie release betreft is wat rond snuisteren op het Internet de boodschap. www.christiantolle.com & www.aorheaven.com bieden soelaas. KVK - 81
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From Gabor Fabian at Strutterzine
Guitarist Christian Tolle has a new CD out as his CHRISTIAN TOLLE PROJECT. The CD features a lot of well-known guest musicians/songwriters, such as STEVE LUKATHER, DOUG ALDRICH, TIM PIERCE, CHUCK WRIGHT and even RICHARD MARX contributed with a couple songs. Musically this is very similar to the TOMMY DENANDER projects, so a mixture of classic melodic hardrock and AOR, like TOTO meets GIANT meets RAINBOW. In total 10 songs are included and it all sounds really impressive, with great guitarwork of both Christian and various session players (STEVE LUKATHER does it best) and also very nice lead vocalwork all throughout the CD by various singers, including Dutch vocalist JOHN CUIJPERS. Opener “Enemy” is a great uptempo classic Hardrocksong that sounds like RAINBOW meets WHITESNAKE. Up next is a wonderful midtempo AOR ballad titled “The real thing” and also following track “On and on” is a great calmer semi AOR ballad. AOR/Melodic Rock is clearly the style which can be heard on most of the time, because during the rest of the CD we can hear a lot of songs in this style, such as the great songs “Rain”, “First time” (beautiful semi-ballad, classic 80s style, very much reminding of DAVID VICTOR!) and “Swear your love” (a classic AOR songs in TOTO style, recorded in the 80s by various people, coincidence or not, I heard a great version of KENNY LOGGINS from 1982 just last week, this new version features lead vocals of a guy called Pit Hupperten, who happens to be the best singer on this project CD), although Christian doesn’t forget to add a Classic Hardrock type of rocker as well here and there (“ I’m on time”), but the mentioned AOR songs are definitely the highlights. Anyway, great new CD.(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
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From Geert / Rockezine
The second album by the Christian Tolle project is called “The Real Thing” and it features ten songs with guitars in the leading role. Despite the fact that this is a project based release and many great guitarists contributed, the album is remarkably consistent. “The Real Thing” is actually a very decent album that combines modern rock with main stream in the vein of, for example, Toto. I’m personally not that fond of Toto&Co and must admit that I wasn’t very impressed with “The Real Thing” eighter.This is mainly due to the typical American sound. The sweetness of the compositions, the mastering and sometimes sluggish lyrics are things that are way off from my personal taste. Putting my personal preferences aside I’m pretty sure that this album will do excellent in the AOR community: the hard hitting and the midtempo beats, the power ballads and the catchy melodies and refrains will definitely get the adult rockers on their feet. (7/10)
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From Marten Maartens /www.dreun.com
Dit tweede album van Christian Tolle Project, 'The Real Thing', is net zoals het zopas besproken 'One Thing remains' van Default een lekker mainstream rockalbum geworden. Aangezien dit een projectalbum is, wordt zowat elke track ingespeeld door een befaamde gitarist. In tegenstelling tot wat de meeste mensen zouden verwachten is het geheel echter heel toegankelijk gebleven. Op muzikaal vlak is alles een beetje te vergelijken met de muziek van bijvoorbeeld Toto, hoewel deze kwaliteit niet helemaal wordt bereikt. Dit neemt niet weg dat alles best wel goed klinkt, en het album wordt enkel een beetje de dieperik ingetrokken door een aantal over-sentimentele ballads. Luister maar eens naar tracks als "On And On" en "Rain", dit hele gebeuren is net een beetje te knuffelrock-geïnspireerd. Gelukkig is die pijn maar van korte duur en rockt het album over het algemeen. Van snellere AOR als "Enemy" of "Flow" tot zalige mid-tempo road rock (zo noem ik het) als "First Time" en "I'm On Time". Ik ben er zeker van dat dit album bij menig AOR-fan in de smaak zal vallen. Met de fijne, eenvoudige composities van Tolle, en zijn typerende 80's stem geluid kan je eigenlijk ook niet missen!
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From the official TOTO website
Steve Lukather plays guitar solos on the songs "The Real Thing" and "Back to the Moon" of the new album of the Christian Tolle Project which has been released on the label CTM in Germany. It's available at AOR Heaven or directly at the Christian Tolle website. "The Real Thing" offers dynamic yet melodic rock songs ranging from a beautiful ballad like "First Time" to midtempo and lots of uptempo tracks.
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From Hanekke / www.prettiesforyou.de
Let’s see what this Christian Tolle guy has in store for me today! Right as I pop it in, a fresh guitar sound smiles back at me. It sounds quite new on one hand, but on the other hand it also makes me think of classic metal bands like Queensryche for instance! This first track "Enemy" is quite uplifting, and sets you in an okay mood right away. Immediately it is clear that all the musicians are experienced. I love the vocals! They make me think of Mennen actually. The break at 2:40 is interesting, just as the solo is. Second on the list is "The Real Thing", the title track of this cd. A strange intro, with a solo that makes you feel at home right away. This one is a bit easier going than the first track, quite romantic, at some points maybe a bit too sweet for my taste, like the recording chorus for instance. The solo brings you right back to the early 90’s, which is good. "On And On" also takes it down a notch, all right melody lines! It gives you a weak Xmas feeling in your stomach, so that really fits the season. Near the end the track gets a bit more spice, excellent balance between the guitar solo and the rest of the melody lines! "Rain" has a familiar vibe to it in the beginning, that last trough the entire song. There is a lot of variation in the track, but they still manage to make it sound some kind of familiar. Nice bass lines! "The Flow" is again an uplifting track, with a nice tempo, I like it! Great choice of riffs! The solo guitar gives it an interesting vibe, especially the little twin pieces hidden in there at some points. It just gives the track that bit of extra, just like the backing vocals at some points. Ooh what do I hear there!?!? Yeah blues riffs! Interesting, this "Back To The Moon" track! Again with great backing vocals. The flow is great! Sexy vocals! The solo fits the song. "First Time" is another ballad. Makes me think even more of X-mas! A sweet solo and every other recipe for an acceptable ballad. "Swear Your Love" is luckily a bit more firm, wakes you right up with some heavier guitar parts, also some interesting melody lines, and again a nice solo. What else could I expect here..."I’m On Time" is also a bit of a faster track, the intro is great! Uplifting with some nice vocals, the singer should be more like this at some parts of the album! Here and there I spy a bit of a blues tone, nicely done! Big 80s vibe! Wow, the last track already! Time is flying! The intro of "Belief" makes me think of Thunder sometimes! Interesting drum pieces smuggled in there, I can’t really define what the effect is, but it gives the song a bit more spice. Kickass riffs! Off course they finish it off with a kickass solo! Yes, I think I will put this cd more often in my player! I’d skip the ballads though....
Overall opinion
For people who are looking for something innovating, don’t listen to them! For people who like firm rock, with a ballad here and there, kickass vocals and a really gifted guitar player, get it! The music makes me feel like you are in the 80s or 90s at some point, but still with a little 20th century vibe in it. Well done!Point 7.9 out of 10
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Reviews BETTER THAN DREAMS
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From Lothar Trampert / Gitarre Bass 05/2000
Ein Beispiel, dass man auch als Freizeit-Musiker eine professionelle Produktion mit prominenten Gästen an den Start bekommen kann, ist das CHRISTIAN TOLLE PROJECT. "Better Than Dreams" heißt das Debüt Album des Kölner Gitarristen, und ganz schnell merkt man, dass der frühere Journalist und heutige Wirtschaftswissenschaftler ein ganz großer Toto-Fan ist. Daher wundert es auch nicht weiter, dass neben L.A.-Cracks wie Lauren Scheff (b), Michael Thompson und Tim Pierce (g) auch Steve Lukather ein paar Soli beigesteuert hat. Tolle hat mit diesem Album den gitarrenlastigen Mainstream-Rock zwar nicht neu erfunden, aber immerhin gezeigt, was man mit viel Energie und Ausdauer erreichen kann - auch ohne Vertrag und Plattenfirma. Toto- und Lukather-Fans sollten mal reinhören.
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From Klaus "DJ" Brandlhuber / ROCK IT! Das AOR * Hard Rock * Metal Magazin 02/2000
Die Erfahrung der Vergangenheit hat gezeigt, dass sogenannte "Überraschungen" aus deutschen Landen immer mit großer Vorsicht zu geniessen sind, aber diese hier ist definitiv gelungen. Der 30 jährige Leverkusener Gitarrist und Wirtschaftswissenschaftler Christian Tolle fliegt mal kurz nach Los Angeles, nimmt dort ein paar Songs mit Steve Lukather, Tim Pierce und Michael Thompson auf und veröffentlicht das Ganze hier ohne Label und Vertrieb, ja packt als Titel sogar noch seinen eigenen, der Betroffene möge mir verzeihen, nichtssagenden Namen drauf. Arroganz? Überheblichkeit? Nichts davon. Das Ergebnis ist ein bodenständiges Album, das von Mainstream Rock bis zum Westcoast reicht und sogar Ohrwürmer wie "One Night Alone" oder "I Know" beinhaltet, Songs, die in jede Radio-Playlist reinpassen sollten. An einigen wenigen Stellen fehlt den Songs zwar noch der letzte Schliff, aber insgesamt gesehen klingt das Album frisch und knackig, gut produziert und lässt dank seiner Vielfalt auch nach mehrmaligem Hören immer noch keine Langeweile aufkommen. Geheimtipp! (5 von 6)
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From Rob Evans / Voltz magazine issue 9 January 2001
... Staying in Germany for our next band The CHRISTIAN TOLLE PROJECT whose "Better Than Dreams" cd is causing quite a stir at the moment. It's easy to see why as it features a whole host of guests stars such as Steve Lukather, Tim Pierce and Michael Thompson who between them have created a minor classic in the making. With these people as guests you would be forgiven in thinking that this cd was going to be full of westcoast anthems, well think again as this is more in common with Hard Rock rather than the fluffy strains of west coast. Other than the various guests, all guitars are handled by Christian Tolle himself with all the vocals being handled by Stephan Scheuss who posseses a mighty fine voice and is probably the star of the show. The highlights for me would have to be the laid back and poptastic "Angel", the hard hitting "Monkey Park" and "Changed" which features Steve Lukather on lead guitar. All told I found this cd to be a pleasant surprise and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
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From Chris Lambert / Rock Report magazine #45
Born 1970 in Leverkusen (Germany) Christian Tolle was raised in a musical family and so he discovered music at an early age... In 1987 one of his songs was released on a compilation put together by the German magazine Musiker. Following this, he played with bands as Underdog, Black Rose and Lehmann and studied economics. In 1992 he began writing for Fachblatt, a magazine...which is known to many German musicians... Through his work he got to know many big names in rock, especially guitar players. He became friends with many of them and when he decided to record "Better Than Dreams", he flew over to Los Angeles and recorded with the likes of Steve Lukather, Michael Thompson and Tim Pierce. But not only they have made this album so strong. As a matter of fact, each and every single musicians put heart and soul into this project... Tolle's main musical counterpart is no one else than vocalist Stephan Scheuss... His outstanding voice it without an accent and suits the songs very well. ...Most of the music is written by Tolle and (backing vocalist) Steve Barnes, with lyrics penned by Amy Antin.The material itself varies from harder rock to westcoast, which makes listening to this album a pleasant occupation. The album was recorded and produced by Christian Tolle hinself (and it may be said: he did a wonderful job!), with mixing from Thomas Kemper, known from the band China. (80/100)
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From Arend Slagman at the official Steve Lukather site
The first album of the German guitarist and songwriter Christian Tolle is a good example of how to merge the influences of for example Bad Company, Bad English, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Buffalo Springfield, John Wetton and Steve Lukather into a new 21rst century heavy, melodic rock album. Tolle managed to (co)write ten mid- and uptempo rocksongs with very catchy melodies and to produce a very clear and coherent sound. He also managed to involve some great musicians like Michael Thompson (guitar), Tim Pierce (guitar), Lauren Scheff (bass) and Steve Lukather. Luke is playing lead guitar and a melodic solo on the opening track Changed and is responsible for the guitar solo in the Los Lobotomys like instrumental 87 99. Next to those two songs my third favorite on this album is She doesn't know, an uptempo classic rocker with the sharpened, edged guitar parts by Michael Thompson.
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From Mark Regemann at the official Toto site
...Christian Tolle is a german guitarist and songwriter. The album is a great mixture of up- and midtempo mainstream rocksongs combined with some ballads and catchy melodies...
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From Thomas Hoyer from the former Luke.dk site
Christian Tolle, German guitarist and songwriter got together with a few old friends and former bandmates and then flew to L.A. to record with Steve Lukather, Tim Pierce, Michael Thompson and Lauren Scheff. The result is the new Christian Tolle Project album with the title Better Than Dreams. It's scheduled for release late March. Better Than Dreams is basically an AOR album, but it spans over more genres, with songs ranging from hard rock, melodic westcoast to fusion type music. Steve Lukather plays on the great opening song Changed and the blazing instrumental tune 87 99, which also features Tim Pierce.
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From Uli Lennartz / Meldodic Journey 3/2000
Er arbeitete für die Musikmagazine "Musiker" und "Fachblatt". Dies brachte ihn in Kontakt mit den Größen der Rockmusik. So verewigten sich Tim Pierce, Michael Thompson und Steve Lukather auf einigen Songs der Platte ebenso, wie deutsche Musiker. Christian, der selber leidenschaftlich gern die Gitarre umhängt, hat in seiner Vergangenheit Erfahrungen in Bands wie Underdog oder Black Rose sammeln können und erfüllt sich mit "Better Than Dreams" einen Lebenstraum. Die Songs hat er über Jahre gesschrieben und weiterentwickelt. Es ist eine Art Bilderbuch für ihn. Dies bedeutet keine Aneinaderreihung von irgendwann mal aufgenommenen Stücken. Nein, alle Songs klingen frisch und haben Flair. Sie orientieren sich zum Teil an seiner Lieblingsband Toto, was kein Makel ist. Neben Christian an seiner Gitarre legen sich Stephan Scheuss und Thomas Heinen (nur bei "Out In The Night", dem Underdog-Klassiker schlechthin) als Sänger mächtig ins Zeug. Das Instrumental "87 99" markiert die Jahre, in denen er die Songsgeschrieben hat. Von Hardrock bis Westcoast ist hier alles vertreten. Christian Tolle legt mit "Better Than Dreams" ein Album mit einer nicht alltäglichen Geschichte vor, das alleine deshalb schon außerordentlich reizvoll ist. Von der Musik mal ganz zu schweigen. Toll, Herr Tolle. 8/10
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From Juha Harjula at Melodic.net
Well what do we have here, another boring album. NO, this was really a nice surprise what Christian has done. Christian Tolle is the main brain behind this album, he plays guitar, drums and bass. On vocals he has a great singer named Stephan Scheuss. He has a voice that can be compared with Michael Morales. This is a great rock/AOR in the veins of Jimmy Martin, Michael Morales, Carl Dixon and touches of Bryan Adams. On two tracks you will find Steve Lukather playing guitar and Tim Pierce on one track. There is not a single boring track on this album, but there is couple of stand out tracks like. "Taking A Risk" is a TOTO sounding song era Seventh One. "Changed" is a great AOR-rocker that reminds very much of Jimmy Martin and Michael Morales. "One Night Alone" has nice harmony vocals and has a Carl Dixon feeling over it. "Monkey Park" is a rocker a´la Carl Dixon and Brett Walker. The best track on this album is the awesome "I Know". The chorus is just brilliant and this song hits you right away. Christian has done a very good album and surprised me in a good way. This is something every fan of the mention artists has to check out right away.
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From Gabor Fabian at Strutterzine
This is a very interesting release, because multi-instrumentalist CHRISTIAN TOLLE from Germany has been accompanied by guitarplayers like Steve Lukather, Michael Thompson and Tim Pierce on his debut CD. Besides, the 10 songs are from a very high quality and are best described as 80s typed AOR/Melodic Rock like a mix between GIANT, 80s BAD COMPANY, FOREIGNER, KEVIN LEE, BRYAN ADAMS and RICK SPRINGFIELD (80s period). So basically this is guitar driven melodic rock with raw emotional vocals and catchy choruses to sing-a-long. The CD opens with "Changed", a great 80s typed uptempo cheerful melodic AOR/ Poprocker like BRYAN ADAMS meets RICK SPRINGFIELD (only a bit tougher than these two). Next up is the straight ahead AOR/Melodic Rocker "She doesn't know". "Taking a risk" is a great semi AOR ballad. Then comes the fantastic semi AOR rocker "One night alone" that sounds like a mix between the old JEFF PARIS and TIM FEEHAN. The good semi AOR/Melodic rocker "Angel" follows. "Monkey park" is the fuirst track that didn't bother me that much, just a poprocker, nothing more nothing less. "Back to you" then again is a very good AOR/Melodic Rocker (like 1984 BRYAN ADAMS). "I know" is one of the highlights of the record, because this is a great AOR song. The instrumental "87 99" is nice to check out for the guitarfreaks, because it features a 'guitar-duet' between Steve Lukather and Tim Pierce. The CD closes nicely with the semi melodic rockballad "Out in the night". This CHRISTIAN TOLLE PROJECT is definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of AOR/Melodic Rock, because this is really quality. Everything just sounds great on this CD and not only because Steve Lukather and Michael Thompson appear on the album, Christian is a very fine musician who plays the instruments very well. He only doesn't sing on the songs, because Stephan Scheuss does the lead vocals.
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From Andrew McNeice at Melodicrock.com
Christian has put a great deal of time and effort into this, his debut album. I was looking forward to hearing it and am more than happy to pass on that I have not been disappointed. This is a class release from a guitar player beyond his years. A great maturity is part of the music. It's pretty much his own sound, with touches AOR, Westcoast and straight pop rock. The vocals have a distinct tone and the album has an overall laid back, but guitar driven feel. Check it out. (78%)
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From Georg Siegl at AOR Heaven
Christian Tolle is well known in the scene as a close friend to axe heroes like STEVE LUKATHER, TIM PIERCE & MICHAEL THOMPSON, so it isn’t much surprising that they all guests on his debut. With singer Stephan Scheuss he found a very talented guy which vo-cals are up to international standard while the songwriting is in the vein of TOTO albums like "Tambu" or "Mindfields" and some hints of the MTB with a more rockier edge. Only the drum computer is a bit disturbing, but overall it’s a pretty good AOR CD - go for it now ! AOR Heaven March/2000
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From Takeshi Ito at ~AOR Music in Japan
Monthly recommended discs April (Rating 3 out of 5)Christian Tolle, the guitarist born 1970 in Leverkusen Germany is heavily inspired by Los Angeles big guitarists such as Steve Lukather, Tim Pierce and/or Michael Thompson., He decided to record his own CD in his own studio with all his friends and heroes he met over the years. Christian flew to L.A. and recorded with Steve Lukather, Tim Pierce, Michael Thompson, and Lauren Scheff. And, this CTP first album "Better Than Dreams" features a lot of his friends and former band mates like Mathias Dieth (Ex-UDO, Ex-Sinner). The 10 songs on this album are basically hard-edge melodic rock (Euro AOR) with a little westcoast and jazz influences.
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From Marco Späth at On the rocks
Who the hell is Christian Tolle? A real interesting question I can’t answer. Sorry guys! I only know, that he is a young and talented German guitarist and that "Better Than Dreams" is his very first album. So it`s a little sensation, that he was able to convince Rock heroes like Steve Lukather (TOTO) and Tim Pierce of his material and win them for some guest appearances. The 10 songs Christian Tolle recorded are melodic and radio compatible Rock music, which show some influences by TOTO, early Richard Marx and Chris Thompson. The first tracks "Changed" and "She Doesn’t Know" are nice but unspectacular Rock songs, but the following three tracks "Taking A Risk" (a real good ballad, that could have been written for Bobby Kimball), "One Night Alone" and "Ange", sound distinct stronger. Mr. Tolle has a good sense for melodies and fine arrangemtens, although his songwriting has still the one or other weak point. Especially on the harder songs, like the next "Monkey Park" and "Back To You", he shows some unsafeness. But on "I Know" he proves, that he is able to play and write good rockers. The cool instrumental track "87 99" unites the guitar-playing of Steve Lukather and Time Pierce and this song is a pure demonstration of their extra-class! The powerful and very atmospheric ballad "Out In The Night" is my personal favorite on "Better Than Dreams". All in all you should give Christian Tolle the chance to convince you. Don’t expect a new milestone of Rock, but a real solid and handmade piece of music! Rating: 72 % April 2000
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From Rage at Rock Reunion
Christian Tolle? Sounds Swedish, or maybe Finnish. Project? When I heard this, I expected freaky jazz rock or fusion. But I was totally wrong! Christian Tolle is a german multi instrumentalist who went to L.A. to record this album with some of the hottest session cracks like Tim Pierce, Michael Thompson or the mighty Steve "Luke" Lukather (Toto). And why do such famous musicians play on the album of a german nobody? Because Tolle was the long time writer for a german music magazine and now his connections helped him to gather a quite impressive bunch of top players. Some Germans are also taking part, for example singer Stephan Scheuss and guitarist Mathias Dieth (ex-Udo/ Sinner). Together they recorded ten minstream AOR songs similar to the relaxed Toto stuff or pop rock artists like Richard Marx. Although the first two tracks "Changed" and "She Doesn't Know" are nice, well played melodic tunes, they don't convince me, because their refrains are too simple. But track number three "Taking A Risk" is a fantastic laid back Westcoast AOR song with relaxed guitar playing and a great chorus. Some melody lines and arrangements remind me a bit of "Oughta Know By Now" of Phil Collins, but the refrain is first class and original. Next track "One Night Alone" starts with a riff similar to Tom Petty's "Into The Great Wide Open", but that doesn't diminish the qualitiy of this catchy soft rock tune. "Angel" is another highlight. Great midtempo rock with a good-time chorus and a very positive feeling. With "Monkey Park", there is also a straighter song. This guy can also rock! "I Know" could become a radio hit. Very catchy and memorable hooks. "87 99" is an instrumental where Pierce and Lukather deliver some great soloing. Although there is some room for improvement in some arrangements which are too much on the safe side (hey Christian, in the third song you talked about "Taking A Risk", now do it!), I see a bright future for the highly talented musician, songwriter and producer Christian Tolle. Rating: 8 / 10
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From Roger Brosel at AOR Land
Gerrman guitarrist Christian Tolle has just released this cd which marks his debut after a succesful career in business administration. "Better than Dreams" is a collection of AOR/rock tunes from where I would highlight the TOTO esque "Taking the risk" which is a wonderful mid-tempo. Also the rocker "She doesn't know" is pretty good. Added value is the fact that Christian was sorrounded with people like Lukather, Michael Thompson, Tim Pierce or Lauren Scheff plus many German studio musicians. The vocal duites are held mainly by Stephan Scheuss. This cd becomes a bit irregular after a good beginning and some songs are a bit faceless in the second part of the cd. Makes an interesting listen after all.
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