Released By: Frontiers Records
Release Date: May 10, 2019
Genre: Hard Rock
Members:
David Coverdale / vocals
Reb Beach / guitar
Joel Hoekstra / guitar
Michael Devin / bass
Tommy Aldridge / drums
Michele Luppi / keyboards
Track-Listing:
- Good To See You Again
- Gonna Be Alright
- Shut Up & Kiss Me
- Hey You (You Make Me Rock)
- Always & Forever
- When I Think Of You (Color Me Blue)
- Trouble Is Your Middle Name
- Flesh & Blood
- Well I Never
- Heart Of Stone
- Get Up
- After All
- Sands Of Time
Ahhhhhh….. ‘Whitesnake’ the sound of the many hot and sticky teenage summers of my youth and always most welcome to enter my awaiting ears. The album ‘Flesh & Blood’ …. No not the Poison one where I was put on the guest list for the launch in Hollywood by Rikki Rockett (but that’s another story)…. but the new offering from Mr Coverdale and the boys, has been hotly anticipated by myself and all the other snake fans out there …. and it does not disappoint.
‘Good to See You’ is a call to action to rock out with Whitesnake again, positive, clear crisp brilliant production and a great intro to the album…WELCOME back guys!!
‘Shut Up and Kiss Me’, the track that has been released with the first video from the album, has the superb, clean American guitar from Joel Hoekstra and Reb Beach and excellent drumming from the always awesome Tommy Aldridge, this track is more in the vein of 90’s Whitesnake, uplifting and exciting.
‘Hey You (You Make Me Rock)’ gets into a heavier groovier beat with Devin’s bass sound and I LOVE it, almost grunge like in feel and the perfect headbanging fodder for you bedroom!
‘Always & Forever’ brings a little hint of Thin Lizzy to proceedings, with an uplifting and joyful love song, whilst ‘When I think Of You (Colour Me Blue)’ brings more of a ballad to the fore. But the best offerings on ‘Flesh & Blood’ are those such as ‘Trouble Is Your Middle Name’, this is more of the Coverdale kick ass rock n roll that I have loved over the years……this to me is what Whitesnake is all about!
The awesome title track, ‘Flesh & Blood’ is perfect in it’s stomping dirty groove and has the hint of old school snake, with Mr Coverdales vocals screaming out strong and true!
‘Well I Never’ is another hip swinging, head banging treat with the liquid gold vocals dripping through the heavy drums and guitars…..nice!
‘Heart Of Stone’ …..is the type of broken hearted ballad that I do enjoy and as always these boys deliver this with perfection!
‘Get Up’ is a freight train of a rockin, blues ballsy treat and leads nicely into the folk guitar intro of the Led Zeppelin tasting ‘After All’ beautiful in its simplicity and soulful serenading.
The finale of ‘Sands Of Time’ brings the album full circle to a rich and dark ending full of exceptional harmonies both vocally and instrumentally.
Whitesnake of ‘Slide It In’ and ‘Love Hunter’ this ain’t, so if you are expecting more of the feel of the old school 70’s and 80’s, you may be disappointed and initially I was, however I gradually got to love these tracks in the contemporary way they were meant to be received, and the hints of old school Whitesnake did start to come through nicely. I am no lover of ballads and love songs, so for me the vibes from ‘Shut Up & Kiss Me’, ‘Hey You (You Make Me Rock)’, ‘Flesh & Blood’, ‘Trouble Is Your Middle Name’ and ‘Well I Never’ were the winners on this album.
Ballsy, bluesy and with a rock n roll call to action…. this may not be totally the Whitesnake of yesteryear, but neatly combines old school serpent with modern day mamba which slithers its way like liquid gold into your soul.
Tour dates can be found here:
https://whitesnake.com/back-with-a-vengeance-in-2019/
SCORE 8\10
Review by Francijn Suermondt
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