"Into the LIGHT"

If an album has your name on the cover, you want to be damn proud of it. Especially if your pedigree reads: sired by Whitesnake and Deep Purple. That’s a lot to live up to. David Coverdale need have no fears on that score. On his new, self-produced album, Into The Light, Coverdale has touched every base: good songs, infectious hooks, great musicians, a more mature voice that is better than ever, and possibly the best production his music has ever received. The overwhelming impression is that this is the album he really wanted to make and wasn’t prepared to settle for second-best. Coverdale has long sought a musical alliance of top-flight players who can meld together to provide the alchemy that makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts and he has found it on Into the Light. Along with Whitesnake drummer Denny Carmassi, Coverdale is joined by legendary guitarist Earl Slick (David Bowie). Slick and fellow guitarist Doug Bossi seem like they were born to play together while bassist Marco Mendoza sounds like he’s been looking over their shoulders watching their every move all his life. Together they build a foundation on which they can all rock. Into the Light opens with the short, powerful sonic assault of the title track and closes with the gentle acoustic ballad, "Wherever You May Go." Whether it’s the Jimi Hendrix tour de force of "The River Song," the power ballad "Don’t You Cry" featuring an Earl Slick slide solo, or the blues of "She Give Me," it all sounds right. Coverdale continues to cover his favorite topic, love-I need it or at least I need more of it-with fresh, melodic treatments. When he rocks, he rocks with the best of them and when the song requires a sigh, he will be the first to smile and give it what it needs. His voice has lost none of the richness his reputation was built on, as songs such as "Slave" and the anguished scream of "Don’t Lie to Me" amply demonstrate. "Too Many Tears is like the Whitensake smash, "Is This Love," with a shimmering guitar solo, while a wailing harmonica opening and churning Rolling Stones-style riff drive "Cry for Love." Coverdale shifts gears on "Love Is Blind" with its acoustic guitar intro, and the beautifully wistful piano that opens "Midnight Blue." An atmospheric blend of acoustic and electric guitars sets the stage for "Living On Love," with its uplifting message, "It’s gonna be all right." "The song is everything," stresses Coverdale. "Everything must serve the delivery of the song. Good songs, songs that will last, have roots. It’s a rather pointless exercise if it doesn’t connect physically or emotionally." Both old and new fans are going to connect with Into the Light.