Slip of the Tongue

1.] SLIP OF THE TONGUE. The opening track is a heavy metal tour-de-force. A keyboard fanfare warns you of the damage lurking ahead and the band blasts in. 'Sometime after midnight the heat begins to rise, Girl you'd shame the devil with the look that's in your eyes' comes flying out the speaker and Coverdale's voice sounds a little stretched here. Vai has guitar tracks everywhere and this helps build a dense wall of sound. Tommy Aldridge's drums sound massive and locks in tightly with Sarzo. The track is quite stop/start and is a little reminiscent of 'Still Of The Night' at times. The solo sees yet more multiple guitar tracks from Vai and is quite melodic, I was expecting the million notes a second stuff. Overall a solid opening number.
2.] CHEAP AN NASTY. The opening riff sounds very sleazy, a cross between AC/DC and Van Halen. The lyrics centre around the familiar woman like a car approach 'You're fully loaded with cruise control, My four wheels rock with your backseat roll' -indeed. The chorus is of the sing along variety and very catchy. There is a good breakdown before the solo which is again good. The song ends with a chant along stadium friendly section. A bit of a filler track really.
3.] FOOL FOR YOUR LOVING. A reworking of an early 80's Whitesnake tune. The more rocked version does the song justice and Coverdale excels here, his voice is definitely at its most soulful on tunes like this where it is given a chance to breath. The lyrics are about being messed around by someone of the opposite sex and are quite good. The solo is radically different to the original but Vai makes it very interesting with two handed tapping and other tricks. One of the highlights of the album.
4.] NOW YOU'RE GONE. Another stadium ready song. Coverdale again sounds great and shows his voice is one of the best ever [I prefer him to his rival Robert Plant]. The lyrics are of the 'lost-love' variety and feature Glen Hughes' distinctive voice on backing vocals [a nice hark back to their Deep Purple days]. A harmony solo from Vai does the track justice. All in all another solid track.
5.] KITTENS GOT CLAWS. Opening with Cat like meows from Vai [a master of guitar voices e.g. Yankee Rose]. This is another up-tempo track that again is all about sex. This track is very throw-away and I don't care for it all. Harsh? Maybe but Coverdale is capable of writing much better stuff than this, Vai just wails all over the place and it doesn't really give the track any room to develop into what could be a very good groove. I suspect Adrian Vandenberg would of shown some restrain here. As a result the track comes across as a second rate Motley Crue. The song is rescued somewhat by a great backing track from Sarzo and Aldridge.
6.] WINGS OF THE STORM. Another up-tempo rocker, this track reminds me of some of the stuff Tesla did, heavy yet melodic. Coverdale sounds brilliant 'Everyday and everynight, I keep hoping it'll be all right. Trying to leave the past behind, still looking for some peace of mind'. The track changes direction for the great chorus which just screams ROCK. The solo is absolutely perfect and goes through many mood changes. Here the band show what it is capable off and shows that the Coverdale and Vandenberg really can write truly great tracks.
7.] THE DEEPER THE LOVE. This could be seen as the 'Is This Love' of the album, but it is slightly more upbeat and is very good. The feel is reminiscent of Aerosmith and Coverdale sounds like Steven Tyler in places. His voice is again low and mellow and his soul really shines, which it doesn't to such an extent on stuff like 'Cheap An Nasty'. The solo is again great, no real pyrotechnic stuff and the bluesy vibe fits. The lyrics reminisce of times gone by and again sound more convincing than those of the crotch variety!!
8.] JUDGMENT DAY A truly great track. The tempo is slow and menacing and nods towards Zeppelin's 'Kashmir'. Coverdale is amazing using long trail offs showing the full range of his voice. The chorus is perfect 'We walk towards desire, hand in hand through fields of fire, With only love to light the way on the road to Judgment Day'. There is some great groove riffing from the whole band and this really brings the track alive. Vai overdubs suit the track and only enhance it, just shows what he can do. This track begs to be played again and again.
9.] SLOW POKE MUSIC. Oh dear, why follow up 'Judgment Day' with this??? The title suggests what the lyrics hit at, it is better than 'Cheap' or 'Kitten' but it still a filler. The main riff is more imaginative but the solo is again a bit too screechy for my liking. Coverdale isn't doing the Tarzan impressions which is some consolation but then he doesn't really sound convincing here, the track would suit a LA sleaze band better than Whitesnake.
10.] SAILING SHIPS. Another great track that is possibly the highlight of the album. It is again slightly Zeppelin-ish but this is only highlighted by how the track builds. This track again shows that Coverdale and Vandenberg are a truly great writing partnership when they want to be. It goes through many mood changes and again Vai does the track justice. The solo is amazing and backs up Coverdale's claim that the album is full of 'six string sonic tapestries'. This track is on a level with 'Wings Of The Storm' and 'Judgment Day' and closes the album well, in fact Coverdale voice at the end is mind blowing, full of strength, warmth and depth.