DON AIREY: Pushed To The Edge (HARD ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

These days, it's customary to announce that there's no one busier than a retiree. At nearly 77, Don Airey doesn't seem ready to give up his professional activities, but that doesn't mean he can't keep up his busy schedule. While Deep Purple's excellent latest opus (“=1”) was released less than a year ago, the keyboardist is now back with his fifth solo work, seven years after “One Of A Kind”. For this, he has surrounded himself with the same team, with just Dave Marks replacing Laurence Cottle on bass, while young Mitchel Emms (ex-candidate of The Voice UK) takes Carl Sentence's place on a few tracks. The stability of this line-up augurs a complicity that should be felt on the eleven tracks that make up “Pushed To The Edge”.

For, far more than an originality we no longer expected from the living legend of keyboards, it is this point that jumps out at the ears of the listener thirsty for the classic-hard-rock that the Briton is accustomed to satiating us with. Of course, the shadow of Deep Purple looms over several tracks, but how could it be otherwise with the presence of the English dinosaur's two soloists? Add to this the fact that Carl Sentence's voice is regularly furiously reminiscent of Ian Gillan's past flights of fancy, and surprise-obsessives are bound to complain against a classicism that's impossible to deny.

Launched by ‘Tell Me’, in which purists won't be able to avoid noticing hints of ‘Highway Star’, there's plenty to enjoy here, led by the epic and monumental ‘Godz Of War’. Unfurling a progressive structure over almost eight minutes, this track multiplies tempo and mood changes to captivate and offer some fine demonstrations of the musicians' virtuosity. The delicate ballad ‘Flame In The Water’ also deserves a mention. Moving yet classic, it features a final acceleration reminiscent of the finest duels offered by certain southern-rock legends. 'Out Of Focus', one of the many Deep Purple tracks, is a telluric duel between the band's compatriots.

It would therefore be unfair to condemn this album on the basis of its obvious kinship with the Hertford legend in which Don Airey took over from Jon Lord over twenty years ago. While “Pushed To The Edge” may not shine with originality, it is nonetheless a formidable collection of powerful, melodic pieces, tailor-made for classic-rock fans who don't get many new releases of this level. For that alone, we owe a big thank-you to these benefactors of the genre. - Official website

DON AIREY

PUSHED TO THE EDGE

VERYCORDS

HARD ROCK