With Now What?!, Deep Purple doesn’t simply return, it sets out to remind you of everything that once made this band a contender for Led Zeppelin’s throne in the early 1970s as the biggest heavy-rocking band of them all.
Now What?!”, due April 30, 2013 via earMusic, finds Ian Gillan and Co. once again masterfully blending the metal, progressive rock and R&B influences that gave Deep Purple its unique persona — even as they stir in new flourishes to keep things fresh.
So, you have stalwarts Ian Paice and Roger Glover catching a murderous groove for “Weirdistan,” which features some of guitarist Steve Morse’s gnarliest outbursts — but also “Out of Hand,” with its math-rocky cadence. The opening track “A Simple Song” embodies all of that complexity, beginning with a twilit moment of reverie before Deep Purple quickly reengages with its own patented sense of shambolic thunder-grooving tumult — kicked off by a throwback organ gurgle courtesy of Don Airey that’s so tough it could have been a Jon Lord sample.
“Body Line” and “Apres Vous,” meanwhile, are delights straight out of the Machine Head Music era, while “Above and Beyond” edges into the netherworlds of Fireball-era prog. The spooky “Blood from a Stone” rises up like a billowing raincloud, even as “All the Time in the World” allows a still-resonant Gillan to settle into the lower, more emotional reaches of his vocal range.
Not all of it works. So complete is the band’s resurgence on Now What?!, in fact, that the advance track “Hell to Pay” — welcomed upon its release as a return to form — ends up sounding a bit by-the-numbers in this complex and yet utterly listenable new context. Meanwhile, “Uncommon Man,” the longest track here, is perhaps unsurprisingly a bit unfocused — and the horror-themed “Vincent Price” is more fun than it is substantial.
Still, those brief stumbles take nothing away from the triumphal return that is Now What?!, a third-act success that should reignite the passion of Deep Purple’s oldest fans — while, if there’s any justice, creating legions of new ones along the way.
- Nick DeRiso’s Best of 2015 (Rock + Pop): Death Cab for Cutie, Joe Jackson, Toto + Others - January 18, 2016
- Nick DeRiso’s Best of 2015 (Blues, Jazz + R&B): Boz Scaggs, Gavin Harrison, Alabama Shakes - January 10, 2016
- Nick DeRiso’s Best of 2015 (Reissues + Live): John Oates, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Faces + others - January 7, 2016
WOW! I’ve just now sat through the entire CD of “Now What?!” If you’ve ever liked Deep Purple at any time in their career, you oughta like this. Nick – your review is spot on; “A Simple Song” is nearly EXACTLY as you called it – add those tight formation flying harmonies when the band kicks in, and it’s a milestone moment in a long career for these guys. It’s a case of old rock ‘n rollers that sound like they finally grew up, and not just grew ridiculous like some of their contemporaries. If they never make another album, this is a good place to conclude their story.
On a somewhat related (or maybe unrelated) theme, I got my CD online from Amazon – less than 24 hours after I got my notification they sent it. And THAT’s why there aren’t many decent record/CD stores anymore. Yep – I can wait an extra day to get what I want sent right to my door for cheap.
Not bad for Ian Gillan Band, but it is definitely NOT Deep Purple because since Ritchie left the magic’s been gone …