DAVID COVERDALE - INTO THE LIGHT

Given his past glories from shop assistant to lead vocalist of Deep Purple to blonde, permed rock god with Whitesnake, it was hard to predict just what Coverdale would come up with next. Probably the best vocalist to have come outta England ever Coverdale is very good at keeping you guessing. Would he attempt to recreate the 80's glories, would he risk alienating his fan base by going the route of subdued balladry with the occasional big rock number to prove he still cuts it in the vocal department? Or would he release an album of modern blues? Well the answer is really some of all the above and yet none, confused? well lets try and shed some light. This is not a Deep Purple album, nor a Whitesnake album or even a Coverdale/Page project, instead of focusing on one aspect of his career 'Into The Light' does a good job of seemingly covering every base of his career and repackaging it for the year 2000. The personnel involved all mainly come from session musician backgrounds, so we have Earl Slick [David Bowie] and LA hotshot Doug Bossi on guitars, Marco Mendoza on bass, Denny Carmassi on drums, while keyboards are handled by Mike Finnigan [Jimi Hendrix] and Derek Hilland. Backing vocals come courtesy of DC and Linda Roberry. So don't expect any Vandenberg / Sykes / Moody / Marsden influences coz this is mainly all Coverdale's work, which also manages to show what his input on the classic songs of yore really was.

1. INTO THE LIGHT (1.16)
Pure sound effects which build and lead into a very Jimmy Page-esque riff that is pretty heavy before settling down for...

2. THE RIVER SONG (7.19)
Starting off with a mellow Hendrix type chordal motif [think 'Little Wing'] before building for a great blues rock riff, this again calms down and this is where Coverdale enters - "I was born by the river, raised by the sea", and its clear that DC has 'the' voice back after its quite awful showing on 'Restless Heart'. The track builds for the chorus which evokes images of classic early 80's Whitesnake, all underlined with quite perfectly placed Hammond Organ from Mike Finnigan [of Jimi Hendrix 'Electric Ladyland' fame], this paves way for a wah drenched solo that is reminiscent of ex Whitesnake guitarists Adrian Vandenberg blues project 'Manic Eden' - spooky. Naturally enough the track rides out on a refrain of "Where the rivers flows" and Coverdale allows the musicians to do their stuff. A track that is very reminiscent of other things and while not exactly breaking new ground it has one hell of an addictive hook and its in all honesty quite superb!

3. SHE GIVES ME (4.12)
Again starting quite mellow, this time acoustic led and it could almost be an outtake from the 'Coverdale / Page' album, before building majestically with huge keyboard stabs before the quite jovial riff enters in an electric guise, heck the 'Cov / Page' vibes are even present in some of the lyrics "Shake my tree" etc etc. The only thing to steer this away from Page territory is the solo which is a bit more flash than Page can produce. Overall its an odd track that is dark in some points and jokey in others, although for me the keyboard crescendo's are the highlight and pretty stunning.

4. DON'T YOU CRY (5.47)
The first ballad of the album and the best. 'Don't You Cry' is a natural successor to 'Here I Go Again', 'Is This Love', 'Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City' et al. Primarily led by Hammond organ this emotional track has more stunning vocals from Coverdale. Having said that the chorus chord progression is pretty much a direct rip off the track 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale' by 60's band Procal Harum, a little too close Dave! This is not so much anything new for Coverdale, more its back to basics and the outcome is a big success despite the similarity.

5. LOVE IS BLIND (5.44)
Another ballad and another success, nice orchestration adds depth. The closest stuff I can relate this too would be the 'Starkers In Tokyo' album with an orchestra, a great track that will probably be a hit single if it could be coupled to any big film. Nothing really sticks out on this track other than the fact that its a good song.

6. SLAVE (4.51)
A mid paced rocker that again sees use of light and shade. Probably closest to Whitesnake and is home to some of Coverdale's more 'energetic' vocals and that raspy edge that was present on a lot of the 'Restless Heart' material is back on the more screaming stuff unfortunately. The chorus is a simple repetition of - "I wanna be your slave", not the most thoughtful of lyrics and generally the track is one of the weakest on the album.

7. CRY FOR LOVE (4.52)
Another up tempo track but this time the emphasis is on blues, think 'Black Crowes' or 'Rolling Stones' and you won't go to far wrong. Not something I have heard Coverdale do before and its a good song. The track has good musicianship including some kicking harmonica and a biting guitar solo. The bridge sees another angle come into play and its the highlight of the track before DC comes screaming in again "A cry for love, cry for love", oddly enough Manic Eden thoughts come springing back into my mind? Another strong solid track.

8. LIVING ON LOVE (6.31)
Ooo another track with love in the title!! But yet again another excellent slower track that builds, this is pure 'Coverdale/Page' or the chartered waters of Whitesnake's 'Sailing Ships' revisited - a good thing in my book. The voice is big strong and bold and the track is the perfect backdrop for it with a mixture of electric and acoustic guitar. The chorus sees the tempo pick up and its another success. The solo is pure multi-layered Jimmy Page before a superb slide solo that is reminiscent of Joe Perry on the Aerosmith track 'Livin' On The Edge'. But its Coverdale's voice and general arrangement of the track that puts it up as one of the best things Coverdale's done in years.

9. MIDNIGHT BLUE (4.58)
Another slow blues track that is a showcase for Coverdale's subtle vocals. Not one of my favourites and in my opinion its very average at best. It just sounds like any other track of this nature [the sort you'r expect to hear all the time on FM radio] with nothing to make it stand out from the pack.

10. TOO MANY TEARS (5.59)
A rerecording of the same track from 'Restless Heart' and the question "why?" has to be asked? OK so the vibe is different, perhaps a little more honest, but being perfectly honest I didn't care for the track much then and this does nothing to change that view. The end of the track sees a cross between 'Is This Love' and Chris Issack's 'Wicked Game'!!

11. DON'T LIE TO ME (4.43)
Luckily the album hits greatness again with this superb hard rock track. Yes this could be from the '1987' album and Coverdale sounds great. A pumping guitar riff is the basis for the track and the chorus sees something that approaches pure melodic Metal greatness, yes this is Coverdale in pure Rock mode with none of the harshness in the voice and it rules. The guitar solo could almost be from 1983 from the likes of Toto or Night Ranger and it must be said does not sound dated at all. A superb track that more than makes up for the past two tracks - phew.

12. WHEREVER YOU MAY GO (3.59)
Another acoustic led retrospective track. DC's voice sounds unlike it has before and the warmth is there for the listener to revel in. OK so it could be from 'Coverdale / Page' again but that album was good in my book so I don't care. A nice way to close the return of Coverdale.