DEEP PURPLE : WHOOSH!

1. Throw My Bones
2. Drop The Weapon
3. We're All The Same In The Dark
4. Nothing At All
5. No Need To Shout
6. Step By Step
7. What The What
8. The Long Way Round
9. The Power Of The Moon
10. Remission Possible
11. Man Alive
12. And The Address
13. Dancing In My Sleep

Label : Ear Music

Release Date : August 7, 2020

Length : 51:29

Review (AllMusic) : Whoosh! is Deep Purple's 21st album, and their third consecutive outing produced and co-written with Bob Ezrin. Until 2013, the band mainly looked inward to helm the producer's chair, but Ezrin's deep knowledge of their iconic sound makes him uniquely qualified. He helped rein in DP's more excessive impulses to make Now What?! (2013) and 2017's 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 band's 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 Airey's organ and Steve Morse's guitar in the vamp. It's 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/That's enough as far as I can see/Why should I walk into the great unknown/When I can sit here and throw my bones.." "We're All the Same in the Dark" is a balls-to-the-wall rocker led by Ian Paice's thudding drums and a filthy blues rock guitar riff, framed by Roger Glover's bassline. Airey's 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 band's best attempts at a stadium rocker in a dog's 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; Airey's potent, swirling organ guides the band through a labyrinthine prog rock journey, while "Step by Step" is a sinister, atmospheric, blues-rocker. There's 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 1968's Shades of Deep Purple. It delivers a wily funk vamp, Morse's razor-wire guitar solo (that briefly nods to Richie Blackmore's original break), and soulful, jazzy organ. Whoosh! is musically superior to its immediate, Ezrin-produced predecessors, but it's more, too: If it's the last album Deep Purple release, it should be remembered as among their best.

Review (Blabbermouth) : Depending on which generational camp you may fall into, Deep Purple might be a household name. The band is absolutely legendary, and rightfully so. After establishing a psychedelic rock sound, the band's format morphed into something significantly heavier, helping to create heavy metal's template. Outside of their eight-year-long disbandment, the act has been running strong for over fifty years. Now in 2020, they've returned with their 21st studio album: "Whoosh!", an album that is likely to satisfy a bulk of the English band's devoted fanbase. With 13 tracks at hand, "Whoosh!" is a long album. But it has been quite some time since DEEP PURPLE has regularly churned out longer songs. The ensemble has become more succinct in its expression, with only a couple of songs on "Whoosh!" exceeding five minutes in length. They've never had any substantial fat to trim, and indeed one can argue they've never put out a subpar album. But they've become quicker to get to the point and find the groove. The more recent inclination for concise, brief, catchy songwriting seems to be linked to their association with producer Bob Ezrin, who has helmed their work for three consecutive albums now. Ezrin tastefully presents modern sensibilities on "Whoosh!" without betraying DEEP PURPLE's heavy, classic rock soul. And, as the case has been with recent Deep Purple albums, there's a clear penchant for the blues. "Throw My Bones" opens the album with Steve Morse's thick guitar stomp, which carries forward a pronounced seventies swagger. Ian Gillan's powerful, one-of-a-kind voice soars above, not hindered whatsoever by the passage of time. "Drop The Weapon" is up next, ramming through the speakers with simple and effective hard rock. The riff is in command, yet pianist Don Airey's colorful keyboard work proves to be just as memorable. The rhythm section of bassist Roger Glover and drummer Ian Paice pins everything down with a cool, rocking energy throughout, especially on a track like "And The Address" . The grumbling of some fans eternally yearning for Richie Blackmore is likely to reverberate forever, but regardless of the reason, it will be a shame for any longtime Deep Purple fan to overlook "Whoosh!", a fantastic album from front to back. "Whoosh!" is a marathon of an album that doesn't feel like it. Time hasn't slowed Deep Purple down one bit - not yet, anyway. Until it does, we are fortunate enough to still have one of heavy music's originators continuing to perform at an elite level.

Review (Maxazine) : Deep Purple kan gezien worden als een van de oprichters van de hard rock/metal. Na ruim 50 jaar is de band nog steeds actief en komt anno 2020 met hun 21e studioalbum. Deze krijgt de titel 'Whoosh!' mee. Met deze plaat laten de heren horen dat ze nog steeds prima muziek kunnen maken en nog steeds meedoen. Deep Purple is een Britse band die opgericht werd in 1968. In datzelfde jaar kwamen ook gelijk twee studioalbums uit. John Lord, Ian Paice en Ritchie Blackmore waren er vanaf het begin bij. De bekendste en meest succesvolle line-up van Deep Purple, Mark II, wordt compleet gemaakt door Ian Gillan en Roger Glover. Die vijf heren maakten begin jaren '70 met de albums 'In Rock' en 'Machine Head' grote indruk en zorgden samen met nog wat andere bands voor de blauwdrukken van heavy metal. Midden jaren '70 werd de line-up wat veranderd en besloot Blackmore zijn eigen band, Rainbow, op te richten. Ook Gillan hield het tijdelijk voor gezien. Niet lang daarna hield de band op te bestaan om in 1984 een comeback te maken met het succes album 'Perfect Strangers'. Opnieuw met die ''Mark II'' line-up. Lang duurde dit niet, want Blackmore bleef niet lang. In 2002 besloot John Lord met pensioen te gaan, in Deep Purple althans. Hij bleef tot zijn overlijden wel muziek maken, maar totaal andere genres. Gelukkig voor ons gaat Deep Purple gewoon door en hebben ze met Don Airey en Steve Morse twee zeer goede muzikanten erbij. De eerste single 'Throw My Bones' is een typische latere periode Deep Purple track. Fijne riff, pakkende melodieën. Minder heavy, maar plezier hoor je er zeker wel in terug. Wat wel een aparte keuze was, was om 'Man Alive' als tweede single te kiezen. Zeker bij het horen van het hele album zou dit misschien wel de minste keuze zijn om als single uit te brengen. Delen van de tekst worden verteld in plaats van gezongen. Verder staat er nog een Lynyrd Skynyrd-achtig nummer op. 'What The What' is een lekker up tempo, boogie woogie rock met de honky tonk piano. Skynyrd zou dit ook zo kunnen uitbrengen. Laatste wat ik nog wil benoemen is de fantastische solo die Steve Morse laat horen tijdens 'The Power Of The Moon'. Veel emotie en bij de climax kan zelfs met deze hitte kippenvel op je armen staan. De mannen leveren weer een meer dan prima album af. Ook na meer dan 50 jaar hoeven we Deep Purple nog niet af te schrijven. Voor de rockers is 'Whoosh!' zeker aan te raden. De productie zit prima in elkaar en in zijn totaliteit luistert het heerlijk weg.