Whitesnake: The Purple Album

With the addition of Night Ranger/Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Joel Hoekstra in 2014 to replace the departed Doug Aldrich, the Whitesnake line-up was once again complete, and the band was quick to get back into the studio to crank out another album. Instead of a new platter of original material, David Coverdale instead decided to take a look back at his time with Deep Purple, and revisit some of those classics from the Burn, Stormbringer, and Come Taste the Band albums. Along with Reb Beach (guitar), Michael Devin (bass), Tommy Aldridge (drums), and Brian Ruedy (keyboards), the band have put together a loving tribute to some truly monumental songs, with the plan to tour the world not only playing Whitesnake classics, but many of these Deep Purple gems, most of which haven't been played in concert by any Purple family line-up in decades.

The first question many are probably asking, is why make this album at all? Well, speaking as a massive Deep Purple fan, it's about time someone resurrected these old classics, and who better than David Coverdale and Co. ? The second question, the originals featured the vocal team of Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, so who is going to take over Hughes' parts if he is not involved in the album? That part seems to have been filled by a combination of Beach, Hoekstra, Devin, and Ruedy, all of whom do a fantastic job here recreating the soulful style of Hughes. And how about Mr. Coverdale...is he up for the challenge? Well, quite frankly he sounds fabulous here, and right at home on these songs, the majority of which he hasn't sang since the '70s. Sure, "Burn", "Stormbringer", and "Mistreated" were included in many live Whitesnake sets over the years, but in total much of what you'll hear on The Purple Album will be tunes that the singer is revisiting for the first time in ages.

"Burn" kicks off the album, with Hoekstra and Beach proving to be a formidable guitar team, Aldridge pounding the skins like a madman, Ruedy delivering a tasty keyboard solo, and Coverdale shrieking as if he was a young man again. The layers of vocals come out on a funky but heavy take on "You Fool No One", and again, I'm not sure exactly who is contributing Hughes' parts, but they have done a fantastic job. The soulful hard funk of "Love Child" is cranked up a notch, this version even heavier than the original, and "Sail Away" here is done acoustic style, and is a revelation, as the band completely transforms this one, Coverdale soaring to the heavens in one of his many highlights here. "The Gypsy" is also a major success, one of this writer's favorites from this era of Purple, and the band do it justice, with sizzling lead guitars flying about the mix and more of those great dual vocal melodies. "Lady Double Dealer" is given royal heavy metal treatment, as Coverdale delivers a nasty, venomous lead vocal, but he does an about face and shows us just how much he has left on a killer, bluesy version of "Mistreated", easily the most successful song here and one that I can't wait to hear live. The guitar solo is also monumental, with a nod to Ritchie Blackmore but not overly so. A strange choice for this album is "Holy Man", which originally was a vehicle for Glenn Hughes but Coverdale does a fine job making it his own. The band lays down some serious funk on "Might Just Take Your Life", and then wows on the emotional "You Keep on Moving", a powerful tune that is breathtaking here. The gentle "Soldier of Fortune" is beautiful, as Coverdale croons with his soft, mid-range tone, and "Lay Down Stay Down" is locked and loaded, the rhythms firing on all cylinders, the guitars acrobatic, and the vocals sizzling. The legendary "Stormbringer" closes out the set in metallic fashion, a much heavier version than the original that sees Hoekstra & Beach working overtime. The deluxe edition also includes "Comin' Home" and "Lady Luck", but these tracks were not available for review.

Whether Coverdale's voice can handle belting these tunes out on the upcoming tour remains to be seen, but I think he's up for the challenge. He's assembled a fine cast of musicians here who can not only recreate all the instrumental parts and add in their own identity, but also contribute stellar vocals as well to help him bring these songs back to life. Thankfully, the band decided to give many of these songs a slightly different spin, so it's not a 'note for note' covers album, but a 'reimagining' so to speak. It should prove to be an exciting tour, and hopefully it prompts the band to get back in the studio once it's over and crank out another new album of all original material. In the meantime, get 'yer Purple on!

See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!

Track Listing
1) BURN
2) YOU FOOL NO ONE (Interpolating ITCHY FINGERS)
3) LOVE CHILD
4) SAIL AWAY
5) THE GYPSY
6) LADY DOUBLE DEALER
7) MISTREATED
8) HOLY MAN
9) MIGHT JUST TAKE YOUR LIFE
10) YOU KEEP ON MOVING
11) SOLDIER OF FORTUNE
12) LAY DOWN STAY DOWN
13) STORMBRINGER
Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks:
14) LADY LUCK
15) COMIN' HOME

Added: April 25th 2015
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
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