The 21st album of "Deep Purple" is called "Whoosh!" Released on August 7, 2020.
This is definitely a "back to the roots" album whose motto in the studio during the recordings was: "DEEP PURPLE is putting the Deep back into Purple".
What's more, it's probably also an album that's closing the band's circle, perhaps it's last.
Clues to this can be found, among other things, in the fact that the band's last tour in 2017-2019 was called "The Long Goodbye".
Also, the closure is real, literally. The last track of the album (if you do not consider the bonus track) is called - "And The Address". Anyone who looks at the band's first album from 1968, "Shades Of Deep Purple", will find that it opens with exactly the same instrumental section of the same name. It's amazing to think that the legendary drummer Ian Paice who played the same track that opened the band's first album 52 years earlier, is the same drummer who closes the current album with a track of the exact same name! And if this is not closing a circle, then what is?
What's more, even the logo of the band's name on the album cover is somewhat reminiscent of the band's logo from its earliest days.
Even if we dive into the musical material, we will realize that it certainly corresponds with the materials from the band's first periods.
True, there are a few exceptions here like the rockabilly of "Don Airey" or the bouncy rhythm of "Nothing At All" with Don Airey's keyboard solo corresponding with Bach, but most of the album is reminiscent of the beloved and familiar Deep Purple.
From the first listen, it can be said that this is an excellent album. This can be seen already in the opening song "Throw My Bones" which sets the tone for what we will get later with the sweeping music of Steve Morse releasing a magnificent solo here.
In the first second of the track "What The What" we were sure "Highway Star" is playing, the rhythmic of "The Long Way Round" with a rocking riff that corresponds with "The Mule", the track "No Need to Shout" with the keyboard opening that corresponds, with "Perfect Strangers" and the guitar line that corresponds with "Stormbringer" and the dynamic and complex "Man Alive" in which Ian Gillan mentions the name of the album "Woosh!", are just some of the pearls that can be found here.
We often witness a discourse about veteran artists and the question of whether they should continue to issue new materials. We hold the view that as long as their power is at their hands they should continue to do so, even at the cost of the requisite comparison to substances released during their peak period.
For us "Deep Purple" is as relevant today as it once was. This band has been rolling steadily for almost 20 years, and if we do not consider the tragic death of Jon Lord, then even more. It's a live, kicking, and breathing band, no less than young bands and this album is a convincing proof of that.
The one who produced the album is the legendary Bob Ezrin who has worked with great and good ones like "Pink Floyd", "Kiss", Alice Cooper, and more. He did this together with bassist Roger Glover who has been sitting on the console for years both as part of the band and with other ensembles. This is the third consecutive album he has produced for the band and it looks like he is going to leave his mark as the band's second most dominant producer in all of its 50 years of career, after Martin Birch of course.
For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music
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