Label: Frontiers Music Srl.
Release date: 10.05.2019
Production: David Coverdale & Reb Beach
Album length: 61.04 min
Genre: Hard Rock
What phase kicks in once you’ve survived a midlife crisis? In the good old comic series “Alan Ford,” the funny translations into the majority language of the former common country coined a brilliant phrase: “pootročeni starec” (“podjetinjeli starče”), basically an old geezer turned kid again. That gets closer, but it still doesn’t cut it. Because. After all the eras of rock and roll that humanity has survived, it’s hard these days to say anything at all about the iconic David Coverdale and his Whitesnake that we wouldn’t already know.
It’s all quite simple. The man can’t and won’t grow old. Concert-wise, Whitesnake, even with David pushing 68, have been an incredibly active band the whole time, and after a few live releases and compilations, including an album of freshly recorded Deep Purple songs from the MK IV era, a genuine new full-length studio record has finally made it into the world. It’s called “Flesh And Blood.” After a hefty eight years, it follows “Forevermore” (2011).
Of course, David Coverdale didn’t manage to develop, figure out or discover any special musical revolution or evolution in those eight years, but hand on heart, nobody expected that. “Flesh And Blood” is, generally speaking, a very good hard rock album, written, composed and produced just the way it should be for the Whitesnake name in 2019.
Of course, the band at times unabashedly borrows some compositional impulses that pull toward the album “1987,” which is nothing new and was an expected move. It doesn’t go further than that (and that’s an old story), because after disbanding Whitesnake in the Moody/Marsden era, Coverdale never again wanted to recruit proper (root) blues guitarists into the lineup, so any excessive softness or organic, even gritty, jailhouse blues purism on a new Whitesnake album is of course only a pipe dream. But that’s simply been the fact since 1987.
David Covedale is still surrounded by a garrison of potent stallions, all of whom have some serious mileage. They racked it up back when they weren’t part of Coverdale’s crew. Well, the elder statesman of the drumming world, Tommy Aldridge, is the exception, and yes, (generationally speaking) you can toss Coverdale in the same basket, but the wisdom and skills that the much younger Reb Beach brings to the band alongside Aldridge and Cloverdale have become an extremely important trademark of the Whitesnake sound and style in the new millennium. To a degree, a real foundation. Newcomer Joel Hoekstra is a great pickup as the replacement for the departed Doug Aldrich, and Whitesnake fill that gap deftly with him. And then some. Hoekstra cut his teeth with AOR veterans Night Ranger and has a very solid solo studio album under his belt. He’s not only an equal to Beach as a guitar soloist, but, just like Reb Beach, also a skilled composer and riff-smith. David Coverdale put that quality of Joel’s to good use, and Hoekstra is credited as author and co-author on a total of five new songs on “Flesh And Blood.”
“Flesh And Blood” is a proper “party time” album. From head to toe. At the same time, it’s once again the album where the most-used word in the lyrics is “baby.” You’re not surprised, are you? We’re talking about a man you must not leave alone even with your own grandma. That’s what they said in the eighties. Today it’s flipped. You mustn’t leave him alone with your 18-year-old daughter. So no vocal miracles should be expected from Coverdale. The years have simply done their thing. But the poetry is that “filter” that entertains us immensely this time too, since it’s exactly the same as it was in the eighties. Of course, it’s also full of those deep breaths with which Coverdale decorates his vocal lines. But in his mature years they’ve become raspier. Since the man is aware of it, he’s treated himself to some bold production tricks, which are rather counterproductive, because these cosmetic levers/tricks are overdone, and on these “blowing in girls’ ears” parts (damn it, this is what a guy nearly 70 is doing) the vocal loses its organic feel and natural tones and sounds very artificial and fake. When I Think Of You is one such ballad, full of (roaring) inhales and exhales. Add all these facts together and they come across today as a kind of self-parody (if not self-irony), even though that’s by no means what Coverdale wanted. But that’s exactly why such moves by old tomcats are all the more immensely entertaining today. His trademark, then. One of the transitions in that ballad veers venomously toward Is This Love.
So. There’s no hiding the fact that Coverdale has lost a lot of the vocal power and typical character that defined Whitesnake’s golden era, and that his voice today sounds worn out and chipped. But he remedies that very well with vocal harmonies and a rich, solid, pouty riff production of sharply and firmly pushed-forward guitars, as well as with keyboard support, which gives the lead vocal a comfort in which the legendary singer lounges, relaxed and safe, while taking his vocal lines. And despite all of the above, Coverdale remains a gigantically charismatic vocalist. Unique, instantly recognizable and highly distinctive. He confirms it with the superb vocal execution of Heart Of Stone, which is backed by a giant blues character. Hoekstra and Beach are extremely venomous soloists, and the solos are what compensate for Coverdale’s at times noticeable vocal wear (even the very detailed production doesn’t fully hide it). The solos are a real treat, and they don’t lack wit and exceptional, armed-to-the-teeth technical polish and performance perfection. They’re also aesthetically sharpened with a pile of finesses that take the listener’s breath away.
If Shut Up And Kiss Me, Trouble is Your Middle Name, Flesh And Blood and the opening catalyst Good To See You Again are a flawless reflection of the Whitesnake aura for 2019, the far more party-hard, devil-may-care (check the chorus) Hey You (You Make Me Rock) is carved in the chorus in the mold of Def Leppard pomp, while the next one, Always And Forever, borrows some of the recipe of good old Thin Lizzy (triple harmonies, plus the vocal lines in the verses, which Lynott could easily have joined). The closing Sands Of Time is the expected trick of an old fox. It evokes some mysticism and a generous dose of pomp and bombast, which means it leans on the Still Of The Night songwriting principle, even though the song is a completely different story. The fiery rock’n’roller Get Up carries a positive nature, playfulness and plenty of cheer, typical of modern-day, i.e. post-2010, Night Ranger.
The legendary, charismatic and iconic singer and one of the most recognizable figures of rock and roll as humanity knows it, David Coverdale, with his soldiery of polished and outstanding musicians, has once again done his job with great distinction. He’s turned out a really nice, good hard rock album, a true imprint of the energy, the vibe and, not least, the state of mind of him and the crew that accompanies him. In 2019, of course. The eight-year gap between albums and the shake-up of the lineup are two key factors that make “Flesh And Blood,” on the “long and windy” road of the legendary Whitesnake, its own musical story. Evidently Coverdale has a few chapters left, and it’s nice to realize that the legendary musician has no intention of stepping out of the music business. Whitesnake thus remain, with the new album too, the true address for an immense abundance of first-class rock ‘n’ roll fun. Rock runs through Coverdale’s veins, and that’s exactly what the new album’s name hints at!
And lastly. You’ve probably figured out by yourselves that the album is too long and has decidedly too many songs. Ten would have been plenty.
author: Aleš Podbrežnik
rating: 8.5 / 10
Track list:
01. Good To See You Again
02. Gonna Be Alright
03. Shut Up & Kiss Me
04. Hey You (You Make Me Rock)
05. Always & Forever
06. When I Think Of You (Color Me Blue)
07. Trouble Is Your Middle Name
08. Flesh & Blood
09. Well I Never
10. Heart Of Stone
11. Get Up
12. After All
13. Sands Of Time
Lineup:
David Coverdale – vocals
Reb Beach – guitar
Joel Hoekstra – guitars
Michele Luppi – keyboards
Michael Devin – bass guitar
Tommy Aldridge – drums
