Whoosh! by Deep Purple Album Review

Post

Subscribe

Whoosh! by Deep Purple – Album Review

I need to apologise from the word go. I am late to the party with this one – it was released two weeks ago – but I could not afford to get it until recently. I have to be careful with my discretionary spending, and so buying this was not high on my list of priorities.

However, now I am kicking myself. This is one of the better albums of this year. Really strong in every regard.
Here is Whoosh! by Deep Purple (2020).


I have not been a huge fan of Deep Purple's output since Jon Lord, the keyboard virtuoso, retired (he subsequently passed away in 2012) but enjoyed the singles that preceded this album's release, so I gave it a go. And with a near classic line-up, they have managed to pull together an album that stands with amongst the best Purple have produced, and the best of theirs I have heard in a very long time. While there are some nods to modernisation, this is a Deep Purple album in every sense of the word, and, yet again, the old guard are showing the youngsters what making rock music is all about.

This is a strange album in a way, though. The music is Deep Purple and all that entails, but it does not feel like it is out of time. There is something timeless about their best music, and this album continues that. At the moment, Purple consist of Ian Gillan (vocals), Don Airey (keyboards), Steve Morse (guitar), Roger Glover (bass), and Ian Paice (drums).

Yes, I really enjoyed this. So, let's look at the tracks.

'Throw My Bones' We open with a track that is an interesting mix of that Deep Purple sound and some modern flourishes, with the stabbing horns and synthesisers, but then capped with a great guitar solo and some powerhouse drums. And I found myself singing along to the chorus very quickly. Straight away, I will say this – Deep Purple have not lost a step. Great opener.

'Drop The Weapon' This sounds like the Deep Purple from their 1970s heyday, and I mean that in a positive way. The new keyboard player on the block has really slotted in nicely (even if he is mixed right up to the very front) and Gillan has not lost a single step in his voice – he sounds completely ageless. And, of course, the guitar solo is magnificent from Morse.

'We're All The Same In The Dark' Another song coming off that classic Purple formula, but this one underpinned by the drums moreso. The lyrics were nothing to write home about, but the music! Wow…

'Nothing At All' Nice change of pace for this song, with some intricate guitar lines to open things and then punctuate the song itself. One of my favourites on the album. I am not sure why, but it really struck me. If this had been released in the 1980s, it would be one of those songs everyone still knows and sings, I am sure of it.

'No Need To Shout' Decent track. Not the best on the album, but certainly not one to skip. A decent enough album track.

'Step By Step' Very different sound to this track, with a minor key throughout and some interesting lyrics, plus some rather eerie atmospherics supplied by the keyboards and backing singing. Strange track sonically, but I did enjoy it.

'What The What' With a slight 1960s feel to it, this track stands out after the one it follows. The piano and steady drumming with an almost cheery sounding singing of an angry lyric males this a really strong track.

'The Long Way Round' Another of my favourites on the album. Some good lyrics and the music has a sound all of its own. It has that 1980s feel to it that I love so much, only with better playing. Another track that, if released at a different time, would have become a feature of many a playlist.

'The Power Of The Moon' Another good change of pace into a really strong, atmospheric song. I really liked the guitar solo in this track and even if the keyboards were a little too much front and centre, it is still a good song.

'Remission Possible' !! I was just going to leave it as that. This is an instrumental of some majesty. These guys can play. And at only a minute and a half in length, it does not overstay its welcome.

'Man Alive' And that flows nicely into this slow, moody track. Again, maybe too keyboard-heavy for what it is, where I wanted more of that bass line I could hear in the background and the drumming. And the spoken word bit's words are a bit naff, really. I get a vibe of Linkin Park's A Thousand Suns from this track. Interesting song.

'And The Address' Another instrumental, longer this time. I would say this sounds so much like the Deep Purple of old that it is easy to forget this album comes from the twenty-first century, but this is a re-recording of a song from their debut album. And yet, it still feels contemporary. Like I said at the start: Timeless. That is a very good thing. I loved this track.

'Dancing In My Sleep' This is called a bonus track for whatever reason. And we end with a song that sounds like Deep Purple again, updated for the new millennium. A strong closer.

So, in the end, a great album. The keyboards did dominate a little at times, but apart from that, the music and production were spot on. There is something to be said of experience and doing what you do well. But this is not a throwback album. It is new and it works and, like I said, maybe the modern rock musicians should have a look at these old warhorses and see what they are doing to still be producing such great music at this stage of their careers, and making them all look like also-rans.

If this is the Deep Purple we have to look forward to in the future, long may they play.

Thoroughly recommended.


#bands
#music
#performing_arts
#pop_culture
%wneverywhere