There must have been an alignment of the planets to allowed me an opportunity to review the latest release by Deep Purple.

​

As most people know they are one of my favorite bands; those that do not know, do now. Listening to Machine Head in a childhood friend’s bedroom ( after swiping it from an older sibling) exposed me to something new and wonderful and caused me to shelve my Bay City Rollers and Kiss albums for the foreseeable future.

​

Whoosh, released on August 7th, owes its clean, magnificent, production to legendary producer, Bob Ezrin; whose magic can also be found on such infamous recordings: Destroyer ( KISS), Welcome to My Nightmare ( Alice Cooper) as well as other notable artists; (Pink Floyd, Catherine Wheel, Lou Reed and Aerosmith.)

​

Whoosh introduces itself with 'Throw My Bones' a combination of a throwback to the early psychedelic version of the band, yet, perfectly comfortable in 2020. In fact, much of the album could safely find its place on classic Deep Purple releases.

​

As with any rock album, there must be a power ballad and Whoosh is no different. 'Nothing At All' is in no means typical; the elegant relationship between guitar and keyboard weaves through the track and creates the soul of this ballad.

​

There is an assortment of noteworthy mentions, however there are also those that stand out for being unique. “What the What” a rockabilly ditty with a 1950's boogie woogie Jerry Lee Lewis piano flair and a Chuck Berry twist but with Ian Gillan making these sounds his own.

​

The ultra-bluesy 'The Long Way Around' will have your foot thumping and your volume raised. 'Man Alive' is a 5 ½ minute epic 1970's jam that would have taken up a large portion of a vinyl side. It is esoteric, vocal synthesized, and worthy of becoming part of a film soundtrack.

​

I listened to Whoosh several times, not only because I do this as a requirement for properly providing me with writing inspiration, but also because this is Deep Purple. As a treat for me, and many long time Deep Purple fans, the band chose to revisit a classic and added it as a bonus track. 'And the Address', originally on the 1968 'Shades Of Deep Purple' is a piece of history.

 

While I appreciate the talented Steve Morse, I miss Richie Blackmore’s string bending, technically brilliant work and the haunting keyboard of the late Jon Lord. I applaud the band for honoring their history and their roots.

​

'Whoosh!' is brilliant, 'Whoosh!' is legendary, 'Whoosh!' is different, and 'Whoosh!' is Deep Purple!!