Whoosh!

Whoosh! is Deep Purples 21st album, and their third consecutive outing produced and co-written with Bob Ezrin. Until 2013, the band mainly looked inward to helm the producers chair, but Ezrins deep knowledge of their iconic sound makes him uniquely qualified. He helped rein in DPs more excessive impulses to make Now What?! (2013) and 2017s chart-topping Infinite rise above virtually everything they cut during the 90s and the earlier part of the 21st century. Somehow, this collaboration resulted in Whoosh! sounding so organic, it would have a staple on rock radio in 1974, yet it still manages to register as utterly modern. Whoosh!s 13 tracks are tightly written, economical (only two songs are over five minutes) hard rock songs saturate in edgy pop hooks, prog interludes, and the bands signature approach to groove. Adopting the studio motto Deep Purple is putting the Deep back in Purple, they let their creative impulses freely serve their blues-influenced hard rock. Opener and first single Throw My Bones joins Don Aireys organ and Steve Morses guitar in the vamp. Its tempered by an anthemic melody in the chorus as Ian Gillan (in excellent voice) delivers the death-defying lyric, All I got is what I need/Thats enough as far as I can see/Why should I walk into the great unknown/When I can sit here and throw my bones…. Were All the Same in the Dark is a balls-to-the-wall rocker led by Ian Paices thudding drums and a filthy blues rock guitar riff, framed by Roger Glovers bassline. Aireys organ simultaneously reinforces the vamp, adds fills, and a propulsive rhythmic energy that pushes the other players. Single Nothing at All is further afield musically than Deep Purple have been in a long time. The melody melds Bach-influenced organ patterns, knotty, staccato guitars and a lithe, bright, midtempo melody that seduces even as it packs a punch. The snarling organ intro in No Need to Shout frames one of the bands best attempts at a stadium rocker in a dogs age, though the bluesy swagger in The Long Way Round is a close second. They get the barroom boogie in with the rootsy hard rocker What the What. The Power of the Moon showcases the band at their dark, progressive best; Aireys potent, swirling organ guides the band through a labyrinthine prog rock journey, while Step by Step is a sinister, atmospheric, blues-rocker. Theres a pair of instrumentals here, too: Remission Possible is a gnarly prog rock juggernaut with soaring guitar and organ solos, while And the Address is a killer remake of the opening tune from 1968s Shades of Deep Purple. It delivers a wily funk vamp, Morses razor-wire guitar solo (that briefly nods to Richie Blackmores original break), and soulful, jazzy organ. Whoosh! is musically superior to its immediate, Ezrin-produced predecessors, but its more, too: If its the last album Deep Purple release, it should be remembered as among their best. ~ Thom Jurek

ドイツでチャート1位の大ヒットを記録した前作に続く、最後のアルバムと噂される新作。スティーヴ・モーズ(ギター)とドン・エイリー(キーボード)の掛け合いが爽快な"Nothing At All "を筆頭に、粒揃いのナンバーが並ぶ。注目は初作収録のインスト曲"And The Address"の再演で、確かに全編を通して初期作に通じる自由度の高いプレイを堪能できる。いまなお攻め続けるスタンスに感動を覚える一枚だ。
bounce (C)荒金良介