Deep Purple - Whoosh

Deep Purple – Whoosh!

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Deep Purple give us 13 tracks, there’s a lot to digest, but length wise only two songs are over five minutes, making this a pleasant listening experience.

Written by: Dangerzone

ARTIST: Deep Purple
ALBUM: Whoosh!
LABEL: earMUSIC
SERIAL: 0214757EMU
YEAR: 2020
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England

LINEUP: Ian Gillan – vocals * Steve Morse – guitars * Roger Glover – bass * Ian Paice – drums * Don Airey – keyboards

TRACK LISTING: 01 Throw My Bones * 02 Drop The Weapon * 03 We’re All The Same In The Dark * 04 Nothing At All * 05 No Need To Shout * 06 Step By Step * 07 What The What * 08 The Long Way Round * 09 The Power Of The Moon * 10 Remission Possible * 11 Man Alive * 12 And The Address (Instr) * 13 Dancing In My Sleep (bonus) *

RATING: 70/100

WEBLINKS: Site Link

Background

Despite some claims several years back about Deep Purple being finished with their recording career, they’ve resurfaced with the follow up to 2017’s ‘Infinite,’ marking their third album in a row with noted producer Bob Ezrin. For the most part, both ‘Infinite’ and 2013’s ‘Now What!?’ appeared to be met with positive reviews by many, although I found both to be rather dull, Deep Purple stumbling into old age with a sense of boredom and stagnation.

There isn’t a Steve Morse era album that I’ve found truly captivating yet, so heading into ‘Whoosh!’ I couldn’t help but expect more of the same. Is it however? Not quite. While many of the elements of the past 24 years remain intact, it’s noticeable Deep Purple have tried to mix things up a bit stylistically, although anyone hoping for another ‘Speed King’ or ‘Burn’ are once again out of luck.

At 13 tracks long there’s a lot to digest, but length wise only two songs are over five minutes, making this a pleasant listening experience. Purple have concentrated on hooks and melody, with some of the tracks having a 90’s element to them. Describing all 13 is too much of a task, but there are quite a few highlights, although it did take repeated playing for them to sink in.

The Songs

‘Drop The Weapon’ could almost be a lost track from ‘House Of Blue Light’ with the melodic chorus and guitar work. This is about as traditional Deep Purple as you could find, without Ritchie Blackmore or Jon Lord in the lineup.

‘What The What’ is an engaging rock and roll infused cut, with shades of The Who‘s ‘Long Live Rock’ in the mix, especially with the piano work. The progressive strains of ‘The Power Of The Moon’ add another shade to the album, with Ian Gillan sounding in fine voice among the atmospheric keyboard effects.

The jovial ‘Nothing At All’ benefits from a huge, booming chorus, and could have been a hit in another era. Some tracks tend to plod, ‘No Need To Shout’ and ‘Step By Step’ both by the numbers and indecipherable from the past few albums.

The band pays homage to their 1968 debut, with a cover of the instrumental ‘And The Address’. What prompted this I am yet to learn, but it’s a faithful rendition, although nothing could ever top the influential original.

One of the more curious tracks is ‘Dancing In My Sleep’ however. This one feels like a leftover from an early 90’s solo Ian Gillan album, with a mixture of funk and AOR. It’s well done and a nice reminder of how varied the band is capable of being.

In Summary

This album is miles ahead of the last two efforts in my opinion and reaffirms a lot of the faith I had lost in them as a recording outfit in recent times. Patience and repeat plays were essential to grasp what’s been attempted here and while it isn’t perfect, it makes me want to come back for more, which in this day and age is a rarity indeed.

Video

Throw My Bones

DEEP PURPLE "Throw My Bones" (Official Video)

Man Alive
Deep Purple "Man Alive" Official Video - from the album "Whoosh!"


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1 thought on “Deep Purple – Whoosh!


  1. [Dave T] Agree with Alun’s review. Although not outstanding, most of the songs go straight to the point with a certain progressive vibe. ‘Nothing At All” is my favorite and I liked the shortened ‘And The Address’ remake without the organ intro.

    I also liked the overall sound the band and Ezrin achieved and Paice’s performance. Seems like Gillan found his comfort zone, I was a bit worried in advance about his performance, but his vocals are ok here.


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