Label: earMUSIC
Release date: 8/7/2020
Production: Bob Ezrin
Album length: 51:36 min
Genre: Art rock / Heavy Rock / Hard Rock
Rating: 8.5/10
»Whoosh!« is the twenty-first studio album from English hard rock institution Deep Purple, whose members, more than fifty years after the birth of this legendary band, still much prefer making new music to reading bedtime stories to their grandkids. The album was supposed to drop on June 12, 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic pushed its release back to August 7. This time around, Deep Purple went for a much more economical approach to songwriting than usual: of the thirteen »Whoosh!« tracks, only one runs past the five-minute mark. That’s a good thing in its own way, since it sidesteps any risk of the songs dragging on.
Three tracks came out as digital singles, so fans got a rough taste of the new album’s sound before release. One of them was opener »Throw My Bones«, a pretty ‘traditionalist’ Deep Purple number, meaning a straight-up hard rock ‘bomb’, with a slightly bigger emphasis than usual on the arrangement variety of Airey’s keyboards, while Morse’s guitar solo, slipped in with great skill, spices up the whole thing. Morse and Airey are still the driving forces of this indestructible outfit, which had legendary producer Bob Ezrin helping out with the songwriting and the superb production. Gillan’s lyrics are a touch more cynical, self-mocking and socially critical than usual.
»Drop the Weapon«, where the passionately played organ solo really stands out, is Ian’s mocking satire of the American gun lobby. Of course, the ‘old fox’ Gillan, at his respectable age, hasn’t given up the occasional cheeky quip about the fairer sex, as you can hear on »We’re All the Same in the Dark«, where it’s a joy to hear that last original member Ian Paice, in perfect sync with Glover’s traditionally melodic bass lines, still hasn’t lost his incredible sense of precision and smart drum fills. »Nothing At All«, with its playful central arrangement ‘cooked up’ by Morse and Airey, is among the most interesting »Whoosh!« tracks, while the triumphant chorus paired with a thick layer of organ comes off as seriously catchy too. Airey’s completely unexpected but splendid organ solo brings some prog rock charm, while the combination with Morse’s Celtic-flavored guitar passages produces nostalgic harmonies.
»No Need to Shout« is a somewhat more compact hard rocker again, with Gillan’s sarcastic-playful vocal performance and great backing vocals, while Airey’s short piano solo brings in a barely noticeable jazzy breeze. »Step By Step« is another very interesting piece, with a dark ambient feel and lyrics on a chilling theme. Fittingly, it features a sacral-sounding organ intro, slower rhythms, almost muffled guitar passages, Gillan’s pain-soaked singing, and organ textures that sound like they were lifted from some horror movie. »What the What« is the album’s unexpected rock’n’roll moment. It’s probably Gillan’s tribute to the late Little Richard. Gillan, who in recent years revived his old band The Javelins after many decades, has obviously caught the rock’n’roll bug again, but he was kind enough to keep it to the only moment of its kind on »Whoosh!«, which is actually a much more experimental album than it may seem on first listen.
»The Long Way« puts things back in their ‘rightful place’, as it’s a classic Deep Purple hard rocker with thick layers of organ, outstanding guitar creativity, rhythmic smarts and Gillan’s standard vocal charisma. The central guitar riff is one of the most interesting on the album, and the fantastic guitar solo deserves a special mention too, though for a master like Morse it comes off as completely natural. »The Power of the Moon«, the hardest-hitting moment on the album, is a return to the world of vampires, werewolves and murderous psychopaths, with a dark atmosphere courtesy of uncompromising guitar passages, a mysterious-sounding vocal performance and a variety of synth textures with an emphasis on organ, which always fires up so well in such creepy concepts. »Remission Possible« is a short instrumental where both Morse and Airey shine with brief but excellent solos.
»Man Alive«, seasoned with orchestral arrangements and also released as a digital single, is another one of the more interesting »Whoosh!« moments, with a very good blend of hard rock and prog rock elements, while Gillan’s socially critical lyrics, delivered through singing and two short narrations, add some extra spice. The organ-and-guitar passages are fanatical once again, while the multi-voice chorus gives birth to a new Deep Purple live staple.
»And the Adress« is something of a surprise, as it’s a re-recorded, shortened version of the first track from Deep Purple’s debut album »Shades of Deep Purple« from 1968. The new version drops the psychedelic intro and, with its modern production, goes for a slightly more compact approach, but it’s no worse for it. The only musician who played on both versions, the new one and the one made more than fifty years ago, is of course drummer Ian Paice. The question of why they re-recorded a song from that early period, of which they otherwise only play the evergreen »Hush« live, will probably keep puzzling some Deep Purple fans for a long time. Is it another tribute to the late original keyboardist Jon Lord, or are they signaling that the ‘circle is now closed’ and it’s time for a well-earned rest?
The theory that the ‘circle is closed’ is already undermined by the closing, experimental-leaning track »Dancing in My Sleep«, with Gillan’s distinctly playful vocal performance. This one sounds as modern as it does traditional, with Oriental-flavored symphonic arrangements that will remind many of the classic »Perfect Strangers«, and it isn’t shy about traditional organ passages or even minimalist-leaning electronic textures. With »Whoosh!«, Deep Purple have made it loud and clear that they’re in no rush to retire from the studio and are still having a blast making new music. Once again they’ve delivered an impressively solid record, on par with everything they’ve put out since Airey joined the band, and better than a few releases from much further back in the catalog. The collaboration with production master Ezrin paid off richly once more, and the standouts among the new songs are »Throw My Bones, »Nothing At All«, »The Power of the Moon«, »Man Alive« and »Dancing in My Sleep«.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
01. Throw My Bones
02. Drop The Weapon
03. We’re All The Same In The Dark
04. Nothing At All
05. No Need To Shout
06. Step By Step
07. What The What
08. The Long Way Round
09. The Power Of The Moon
10. Remission Possible
11. Man Alive
12. And The Address
13. Dancing In My Sleep
Lineup:
Ian Gillan – vocals
Steve Morse – guitar
Don Airey – keyboards
Roger Glover – bass guitar
Ian Paice – drums
