Whoever cried tragedy at the departure of Ritchie Blackmore from Deep Purple can shut up now. Just shut up, okay? Listen to the abysmal Slaves And Masters or the uninspired last gasp of The Battle Rages On and try and compare them to this, the band’s most solid outing since 1984’s Perfect Strangers.
Guitarist Steve Morse is clearly the linchpin of this incarnation of the band. His presence has invigorated and inspired his veteran bandmates, and once again, all the pieces are in place, from the thundering foundation of drummer Ian Paice and bassist Roger Glover to the still (at 62) incredible voice of Ian Gillan. Morse and fellow “newbie” Don Airey (keys) are both rock solid as well. Guitar and organ have always been DP’s lifeblood, these new hires to the group – both respected veterans of their craft — fill those slots with a level of depth and prowess that this band deserves. These two are really the story of this band nowadays. Airey filled in like a champ for the departed Jon Lord, and Morse brings a richer and more varied arsenal of tricks to the band. Both of these guys, Morse especially, have expanded and enriched the musical weapons at the band’s disposal.
The opening track “Money Talks” lets the listener know this in no modern rehash of DP. The guitar/organ intro is classic Purple. “Wrong Man” features a meaty, chugging groove, and the title track lets Morse loose with a slippery Middle Eastern-flavored guitar riff and some tasty soloing. “Don’t Let Go” and “Back To Back” hearken back to the Mark III lineup with a funky groove, while “MTV” is a scathing blast at modern music media, aimed at classic radio really, and sums up the situation perfectly: “I’d better get used to this poop du jour / Sure as hell they won’t play anything new.”
It’s refreshing to see a band of this degree of longevity making new music at this level of quality. They’ve never settled for revisiting their roots or recreating the past; they constantly move forward and challenge themselves. Unlike so many of their peers, dinosaur bands endlessly propping up the withered corpses of their greatest hits collection, Purple keeps it fresh and exciting time and again.
