Deep Purple ★★★
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EARMUSIC. CD/DL/LP
Producer Bob Ezrin returns to shepherd Purple’s sprightly latest.
“Don’t mind me… I’m a lazy sod,” sings Ian Gillan. Other daft lyrics such as “Mother nature’s keeping her socks on” support his confession, but Deep Purple’s indomitable frontman remains in fine voice and, musically at least, they sound reborn here. The catalyst is Northern Irish guitar ace Simon McBride, Steve Morse’s successor since 2022, and a stellar soloist as he and keyboardist Don Airey trade lightning licks reminiscent of Airey and Gary Moore’s ’70s fusion outfit, Colosseum II. Portable Door – wherein Gillan imagines a handy portal via which to escape bores – is more gratifyingly silly, while, galvanised by McBride, the venerable rhythm section of Roger Glover and Ian Paice has a tiger in its tank throughout. Pleasing, too, that the larynx-shredding punk-metal of Now You’re Talkin’ briefly breaks character to nod at Purple classic Highway Star.