Ex-FOREIGNER Singer LOU GRAMM Is 'Excited' To Release Newly Completed Songs From His Solo Career

Former FOREIGNER singer Lou Gramm spoke to Kiki Classic Rock about his previously announced plan to release some new solo material later this year.

"I've got masters from my solo albums, and that's basically what I'm using," he said (see video below). "'Cause my solo albums always had 10 songs on it, but we always recorded 12 or 13. And the ones that didn't make the album weren't necessarily the weakest songs — a lot of 'em were very strong ideas, but they weren't quite finished. And I'm finishing them, and I'm gonna release them, three at a time, to be downloaded."

According to Gramm, "at least the first three" songs will arrive in 2019, with the rest to follow next year.

"I hope it's something that doesn't go unnoticed," he said. "I think there's some really interesting and good songs that they'll probably go, 'Why didn't he put that on his album?' Because it wasn't done."

Regarding how the idea to revisit his unfinished material came about, Gramm said: "My son Matthew came up with the idea. He just asked me, 'How many songs were on the albums? And did you have any extras?' And I said, 'Always.' He said, 'Let's listen to those, polish 'em up, finish 'em, and put them out to be downloaded.' So we went back and we started listening, and there's those songs, not quite finished, that I hadn't heard in 30 years."

Lou added: "I'm so excited to release them, because, to me, they sound great."

Last December, Gramm announced that he was retiring from performing as a solo artist. But he later clarified that he wasn't completely walking away from performing live.

By the time Gramm left FOREIGNER for the first time in 1990, he had already released two successful solo albums: 1987's "Ready Or Not" and 1989's "Long Hard Look". He went on to launch LOU GRAMM BAND, which released an all-Christian rock album in 2009. He followed it up with "My Baby" in 2015.

The 69-year-old Gramm left FOREIGNER for good in 2002 and has battled health issues in recent years, including the removal of a non-cancerous tumor. He told the Democrat & Chronicle last year that he was planning to retire, but still reunited with FOREIGNER for several shows in 2018 to celebrate the band's 40th anniversary.

Gramm was the voice on FOREIGNER's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold as Ice" from the band's eponymous debut in 1977, and later songs like "Hot Blooded" and "I Want to Know What Love Is".

FOREIGNER replaced Gramm with Kelly Hansen in 2005. Guitarist Mick Jones, the only remaining original member, suffered from some health issues beginning in 2011, eventually resulting in heart surgery in 2012.