Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Airey, Don
Label: Provogue Records
Release: 2014
Running time: 54:20
Rating: 4/5
There’s no need to waste words on Donald Airey! He’s one of the greatest and most distinguished hard rock and progressive rock keyboardists in the history of rock ‘n’ roll! »Keyed Up« is his fourth studio album. Only the fourth? You could put it that way, but it’s no surprise it’s only the fourth. Airey’s career is packed to the brim with collaborations inside the most influential hard rock lineups of all time. Just to mention his permanent membership in Deep Purple from 2002 onward first: before that, Airey’s career wound its way through work with Rainbow, Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy, ELO, Brian May, even Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, and the list doesn’t end there. It’s fair to say Airey ranks as one of the most accomplished rock keyboardists of the rock era!
»Keyed Up« is a move of artistic maturity that Airey made after wrapping up work on Deep Purple’s latest studio record, the otherwise excellent »Now What!?«, released in 2013 (RockLine review HERE). You could say »Keyed Up« is a window into a world ruled 100% by Airey’s own musical imagination. A window onto a world where every idea the keyboardist can’t, or isn’t allowed to, use in Deep Purple can take shape. And Don Airey’s musical imagination is undoubtedly more than lush.
»Keyed Up« is really a continuation of the album »All Out« (2011). The core crew of musicians who backed Airey on »All Out« stays unchanged on »Keyed Up«, so it’s more than obvious that in his mature years of making music, Airey feels right at home in a “home base” built on a musical environment similar to what Deep Purple give him. It’s also the same crew that accompanies Don Airey at his live shows: bassist Laurence Cottle, drummer Darrin Mooney, guitarist Rob Harris and the excellent vocalist Carl Sentance.
If Joe Bonamassa guested on All Out, this time Airey called on top Irish blues vocalist and guitarist Simon McBride for »Keyed Up«. McBride once again stuns with his finesse and is one of the key pillars in realizing a three-part suite dedicated to the figure and work of Gary Moore. The suite is simply called Mini Suite. The first part, Jig, puts McBride front and center as he “slaloms” through an outstanding blues melody on guitar, later backing it up with his velvety, smoke-roughened bluesy vocals. The middle section belongs to Don Airey, and it’ll quickly win over fans of seventies symphonic prog rock, especially ELP fans, since plenty of Airey’s organ lines in this part of the suite are charmingly cut in an “Emersonian” style. The closing part unfolds in classic hard rock fashion, with the authoritative melodic vocals of Carl Sentance chiming in with some passionate refrains, and the suite reaches an atmospheric closing crescendo. Some lines played on guitar by Gary Moore are also said to be used in this track. This is the centerpiece composition of »Keyed Up«.
On Adagio, Gary Moore takes the lead on guitar. It’s really a track that follows, in its development, the tradition of Moore’s instrumental numbers in the vein of the well-known Parisienne Ways. Gary stretches out in a superb back-and-forth with the warm, velvety embrace of Airey’s Hammond organ, which shows how well these two musicians read each other. The track works very organically, as if it were a lost “jam” between Airey and Moore played long ago. A great blend of blues elements with a neo-classical approach. But there’s a catch. If Moore had known back then that this recording would one day find its way onto any studio album, he’d probably have squeezed out his absolute maximum on guitar for this one. Oh well. The tune is as juicy as it can be, though it’s clear there’s still quite a bit of untapped space left, so it could have worked and hit even harder.
Blue Rondo A La Turk is actually an adapted version of the original performed by The Dave Brubeck Quartet on the album »Time Out«. The track uses a 9/8 rhythmic pattern, so it’s a typically Arabic rhythm. A little musical treat the master Airey served up especially for his solo studio album. The number fits nicely with the stylistic variety across the album’s content. Blue Rondo A La Turk is a popular standard that has also been covered on studio records by the likes of Al Jarreau and Paul Gilbert, and further by Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Airey works typical solo escapades into his version, the kind we’re used to hearing at Deep Purple shows. Even the integration of representative pieces from some classics that Airey especially values isn’t left out.
But let’s not stray. Airey knows exactly how an arrangement should stand and what a composition needs to reach an optimally dense sonic picture, which also generates extremely gripping moods. And they feel really genuine. It’s clear the core of the backing crew played most of the album like a live band in the studio. You can’t overlook the chemistry. And Airey didn’t forget to revive the days he spent in the company of Rainbow rascal Blackmore, either. To that end, he decided to rearrange Difficult To Cure, which is of course Rainbow’s take on Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, with the difference that this time Airey’s Hammond naturally steps up front. And it’s sensibly backed by guitar solo escapades!
There are, of course, some typical hard rock stormers, like the opener 3 in the Morning and right after it Beat the Retreat, which instantly announce Airey’s family ties with Deep Purple and Rainbow. Solomon’s Song and the closing Grace can be counted in too. . Basically an honest statement of classically tuned hard rock, in its heartfelt depths it occasionally veers toward the realms of blues music and symphonic prog rock (the Yes-style Flight Of Inspiration).
Carl Sentance, who sang in his career with Krokus and Primal Scream, was chosen as vocalist on purpose. His voice occasionally recalls a younger Ian Gillan, which means it settles perfectly into the backdrop built by the pioneering alliance of a chunky, massive wall of Hammond organ and hard-hitting guitar phrases. Welcome to the heart of (hard) rock pioneering! You could say »Keyed Up« is a brand-new, one-of-a-kind adventure into the wonderful world of Airey’s musical galaxy. It’s an exceptional genre mix of musical elements that really embody the musical figure of Don Airey as an artist. Prog rock and classic hard rock fans, led by Rainbow and Deep Purple, as well as die-hard blues devotees, take note! This is a record that will thrill you for a long, long time.
Lineup
Don Airey – keyboards
Carl Sentance – vocals
Rob Harris – guitar
Laurence Cottle – bass guitar
Darrin Mooney – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Gary Moore – guitar on ‘Adagio’ and ‘Mini Suite’
Graham Bonnet – vocals
Simon MacBride – guitar
Alex Meadows – bass guitar
Tim Goodyer – drums
Track list
1. 3 In the Morning
2. Beat the Retreat
3. Blue Rondo a La Turk
4. Solomon’s Song
5. Claire D’Loon
6. Flight of Inspiration
7. Inside
8. The Godbox
9. Difficult to Cure 2013
10. Mini Suite
a) Lament/Jig
b) Restless Spirit
c) What Went Wrong
11. Adagio
12. Grace
