by Bret AdamsFormer Rainbow keyboardist and Planet P vocalist Tony Carey became a solo star in Germany. The California native had some U.S. success in 1984 with Some Tough City. It yielded two Top 40 hits in A Fine Fine Day and The First Day of Summer. Carey plays virtually every note except for drums, the guitar solos and a couple of saxophone breaks. His keyboard work in particular is tasteful, efficient and melodic. Some Tough City is a strong effort. It's a loose concept album and the songs are individual stories about the struggle of down-and-out people trying -- and often failing -- to make better lives for themselves in big cities like New York and Los Angeles. A Fine Fine Day is a majestic rocker with a powerful chorus; the lyrics about mysterious Uncle Sonny's troubles are cleverly vague. A Lonely Life seems to profile a drug dealer and junkie, although a pimp and prostitute are possibilities. Eddie Goes Underground is an infectious rocker with disturbing lyrics about a statutory rapist on the run from the law. The First Day of Summer is deceptive in its bright sound because the song is about two runaway delinquents; the narrator is left behind to work as a hotel dish washer when his friend steals their car and leaves. The high-energy song Tinseltown tells how Hollywood eats up dreamers who want to be stars. I Can Stop the World is a ballad, but it's not wimpy. Some Tough City addresses poverty in the United States. The more traditional ballad She Can Bring Me Love is a Springsteen-esque tale of a young working-class couple relying on their love to get through hard times. The German CD includes Say it's All Over, a bonus track previously unreleased on album.