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The Metal Excess Awards: 2011 Edition
Last year I said 2010 was a better year for music than 2009 was. I went on to wonder how 2011 could even begin to top it. Well, guess what… 2011 did indeed top 2010! I’m looking back at my Top 25 list for 2010 and while those albums are all still good, this year’s Top 25 list is much stronger top to bottom.
2011 was a great year that saw classic rock/metal acts like Whitesnake, Warrant, Riot, Alice Cooper, Journey, Black N’ Blue and King Kobra deliver some of the best albums of their career while younger acts like Steel Panther, Reckless Love, Savage Messiah, Evile (who missed the list by this much) and Black Veil Brides have shown that they are more than capable of carrying rock & metal into the future.
Top 25 Albums of 2011
1. Whitesnake – Forevermore
2. Sixx:A.M. – This Is Gonna Hurt
3. Riot – Immortal Soul
4. Warrant – Rockaholic
5. Alice Cooper – Welcome 2 My Nightmare
6. Steel Panther – Balls Out
7. Megadeth – Thirteen
8. Anthrax – Worship Music
9. Sebastian Bach – Kicking & Screaming
10. Reckless Love – Animal Attraction
11. Edguy – Age of the Joker
12. Hurtsmile – s/t
13. Journey – Eclipse
14. Chickenfoot – III
15. Mike Tramp & The Rock ‘N’ Roll Circuz – Stand Your Ground
16. Black Country Communion – 2
17. The Poodles – Performocracy
18. House of Lords – Big Money
19. King Kobra – s/t
20. Saliva – Under Your Skin
21. Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
22. Black N’ Blue – Hell Yeah!
22. Savage Messiah – Plague of Conscience
24. George Lynch – Kill All Control
25. Joe Bonamassa – Dust Bowl
Best E.P./Single
In light of a few non-album singles being released this year, I’ve decided to make this a hybrid category.
1. Sixx:A.M. – 7
2. Black Veil Brides – Rebels
3. Who Cares – Out of My Mind / Holy Water
4. Wildstreet – II …Faster …Louder!
5. The Last Vegas – The Other Side E.P.
Best Compilation/Cover/Live/Reissue Albums
Kind of a catch-all category this year. Instead of listing each category individually, I decided to lump them all into one list and rank them that way.
1. Black Sabbath – Born Again [Deluxe Edition]
2. Stryper – The Covering
3. Vains of Jenna – Reverse Tripped
4. Whitesnake – Live at Donington 1990
5. Slash featuring Myles Kennedy – Live: Made In Stoke 24/7/11
6. Hell – Human Remains
7. Scorpions – Comeblack
8. Def Leppard – Mirrorball: Live & More
9. Eric Carr – Unfinished Business
10. Black Sabbath – Dehumanizer [Deluxe Edition]
Want to read more about the year in music? Check out some of the fine sites & blogs listed below! And be sure to keep checking back for more Year-End posts here at Metal Excess!
All Metal Resource — http://allmetalresource.com/
Bring Back Glam — http://bringbackglam.squarespace.com/
The Crash Pad of Ray Van Horn, Jr. – http://www.rayvanhornjr2.blogspot.com/
Hair Metal Mansion — http://hairbangersradio.ning.com/
Hard Rock Hideout — http://hardrockhideout.com/
Hard Rock Nights — http://hardrocknights.com
Heavy Metal Addiction — http://heavymetaladdiction.com/
Heavy Metal Time Machine — http://metalmark.blogspot.com/
Imagine Echoes — http://www.imagineechoes.com/
Layla’s Classic Rock — http://laylasclassicrock.blogspot.com/
Metal Odyssey — http://metalodyssey.wordpress.com/
The Ripple Effect — http://www.ripplemusic.blogspot.com/
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Whitesnake – Live At Donington 1990
Whitesnake – Live At Donington 1990 (2011, Frontiers Records)
Disc 1:
1. Slip Of The Tongue … 6:52
2. Slide It In … 5:03
3. Judgement Day … 5:56
4. Slow An’ Easy … 8:12
5. Kitten’s Got Claws … 4:58
6. Adagio For Strato … 3:08
7. Flying Dutchman Boogie … 4:02
8. Is This Love … 4:4
9. Cheap An’ Nasty … 4:31
10. Crying In The Rain … 13:28
Disc 2:
1. Fool For Your Loving … 6:02
2. For The Love Of God … 5:24
3. The Audience Is Listening … 3:02
4. Here I Go Again … 5:43
5. Bad Boys … 6:17
6. Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City … 8:26
7. Still Of The Night … 8:00
Band:
David Coverdale – Vocals
Steve Vai – Guitar
Adrian Vandenberg – Guitar
Rudy Sarzo – Bass
Tommy Aldridge – Drums
Hot on the heels of the excellent Forevermore is the release of live album that was recorded at the 1990 Monsters of Rock at Castle Donington (a show that included Aerosmith, Poison, the Quireboys and Thunder). At that time, Whitesnake was still touring in promotion of Slip of the Tongue. There are no less than six tracks from that album played here and while that album is generally regarded as a misstep in the band’s catalog (though I think opinions have begun to mellow), the material seems to go over fairly well with this crowd.
I somewhat find it odd that Coverdale would choose to release this album right after a brand new studio album is released, especially considering he’s the only guy that appears on both albums. I also didn’t realize this show even existed and that there was any demand for it but apparently Whitesnake fans have been clamoring for an official release of this show for quite some time. That’s another thing I thought to be weird — a Slip of the Tongue-era live album? All of these guys are great musicians but that album was so polished I wasn’t sure how the band would come across live.
Sarzo, Vandenberg and Aldridge I have no problem with but Steve Vai? He’s never really seemed like a true ‘snake or a good fit to me and I’m not huge fan of his solo work so I thought maybe this concert would be a bit too flashy and technical, taking away the soul of the band. Happy to say that isn’t the case for the most part. Vai does get to show off with “For the Love of God” and “The Audience Is Listening” from his 1990 solo album Passion and Warfare and I have to say both songs stick out like a sore thumb in this set list despite the crowd’s appreciation for it. I much more prefer Vandenberg’s solo moments on “Adagio for Strato” and “Flying Dutchman Boogie”.
On the whole, this is a much more powerful sounding live performance than I was expecting. Though I never disliked the album, I’m appreciating the Slip of the Tongue songs on this disc a lot more after hearing live incarnations of them. The crowd is absolutely rabid (Whitesnake were the headliners) and they eat up an oldie like “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City” (which was done surprisingly well) just as much as they do “Slip of the Tongue” or “Crying In The Rain”. And of course I have to point out yet again Coverdale’s vocals. The guy is flat out amazing. As powerful as he STILL sounds to this day, he’s even more powerful during this show. A true rock legend and one of rock’s better vocalists of all time.
Though I don’t think this album tops the classic Live… In the Heart of the City from 1980 or Live: In the Shadow of the Blues from 2006, this album stands as a great document of how good the pop-metal era of the band could be and perhaps shows that time frame deserves much more credit than it is given. If you’re a fan of the self-titled/1987 album and Slip of the Tongue, this is well worth picking up.
Highlights: “Slip Of The Tongue”, “Judgement Day”, “Slow An’ Easy”, “Cheap An’ Nasty”, “Crying In The Rain”, “Bad Boys”, “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City”, “Still of the Night”
http://www.whitesnake.com
http://www.facebook.com/Whitesnake.official
Whitesnake – Forevermore
Whitesnake – Forevermore [Classic Rock Fan Pack Exclusive Limited Edition] (2011, Classic Rock/Future Publishing)
1. “Steal Your Heart Away” … 5:18
2. “All Out Of Luck” … 5:28
3. “Love Will Set You Free” … 3:52
4. “Easier Said Than Done” … 5:12
5. “Tell Me How” … 4:41
6. “I Need You (Shine A Light)” … 3:49
7. “One Of These Days” … 4:53
8. “Love & Treat Me Right” … 4:14
9. “Dogs In The Street” … 3:48
10. “Fare Thee Well” … 5:18
11. “Whipping Boy Blues” … 5:01
12. “My Evil Ways” … 4:33
13. “Forevermore” … 7:24
BONUS TRACKS
14. “Slide It In (live)” … 5:06
15. “Cheap & Nasty (live)” … 4:35
Band:
David Coverdale – Vocals
Doug Aldrich – Guitar
Reb Beach – Guitar
Michael Devin – Bass
Brian Tichy – Drums
Additional Musicians:
Timothy Drury – Keyboards
Jasper Coverdale – Vocals
Producer: David Coverdale, Doug Aldrich and Michael McIntyre
Always a favorite of mine since the mid-90s, it wasn’t until the last two or three years or so that Whitesnake came to rise to the near top of my list of favorite bands. Of course, KISS is forever and always #1 in my book but David & Co. would be a strong contenders for my Top 3 and definitely make my Top 5. Being a HUGE fan of their last album, Good To Be Bad, I was more than ready for Forevermore to be released.
As often happens in this band, the line-up has changed a bit. Drummer Chris Frazier and bassist Uriah Duffy left the band in 2010 and were replaced Brian Tichy and Michael Devin respectively. Keyboardist Timothy Drury, who had been in the band since Coverdale brought back the Whitesnake name in 2002 also left in 2010 but was around to record the album. In the line notes, he is only credited as a “special guest” and has since been replaced by Brian Ruedy on stage. Though I would love to see Tommy Aldridge come back in on drums (he was a member from ’87-’91 and then ’02-’07), I’m basically happy as long as Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach are on guitars. I think the band has a much beefier guitar sound now with Aldrich and Beach yet they still are able to stay true to the band’s blues-rooted sounds and play the classic ‘snake songs wells.
The Coverdale/Aldrich partnership has proved very fruitful and is definitely one of the best partnerships David has ever had in this band. David has always kept great guitarists in Whitesnake but Aldrich’s time in the band has that something special to it and he has risen to become not only a songwriting partner with Coverdale but also co-producer of this album. I’m sure the day will come when Aldrich moves on to another project, I just hope that doesn’t happen anytime soon.
A bit of info about this particular version: UK’s Classic Rock magazine was offering a “Fan Pack”, also referred to as the “Snake Pack”, which included the album (featuring the alternate cover art you see above) with two bonus live tracks from the upcoming Live at Donington 1990 album, a poster of the band, a Whitesnake “Official Collector’s Pin Badge” and the coup de grace — a special Whitesnake edition of Classic Rock magazine. CR has done similar packages in the past for the release of Slash’s solo disc and Motorhead’s The World Is Yours. I should point out that the various retail editions of this album are available from Frontiers Records.
I haven’t read the magazine yet but I’m pretty anxious to. My favorite magazine putting the spotlight on one of my favorite bands, how could it go wrong? I also want to point out how cool the packaging of the album is. This version of the CD comes in a hardcover case that’s larger than your standard jewel case. Although most of the pages are full of “thanks”, there’s a cool shot of the band and the lyrics to “Forevermore” are included. All in all, it’s a classy package and it’s great to see Whitesnake get this type of treatment.
So what about the music?!? Well, if you’re a fan of Good To Be Bad, then you already like this album. David & Co. continue what they started there– bringing all eras of the band together into one powerful album. If anything, this album brings it back even more to the early Whitesnake days. Tons of the songs sound like pre-pop metal WS… but on steroids. ”Steal Your Heart Away”, “I Need You (Shine A Light)”, “Love & Treat Me Right”, “Whipping Boy Blues” and “My Evil Ways” should put a smile on any fan that’s been listening since the early days.
“Love Will Set You Free”, “All Out Of Luck” and “Tell Me How” are perfect modern Whitesnake and would’ve been right at home on Good To Be Bad. “Dogs In The Street” sounds like a Slip of the Tongue-era rocker, it’s kinda generic but not bad. Probably my least favorite song on the album though. Also bringing to mind Slip of the Tongue is the ballad “Easier Said Than Done”. ”One Of These Days” and “Fare Thee Well” are great acoustic driven ballads that sound like something off Restless Heart. “One Of These Days” especially has a great 1970s classic rock/country feel to it, reminding me of the Eagles. Then there’s the epic closer “Forevermore”. It has that Led Zeppelin vibe to it the band had during the late ’80s and probably wouldn’t be out of place on their 1987 album.
I really can’t recommend this album enough. I knew it was going to be very good but it has exceeded even my own expectations (which is probably why this review has been so long-winded). I LOVED Good To Be Bad but Forevermore is even better and Coverdale sounds as good as ever!
Highlights: “Steal Your Heart Away”, “Love Will Set You Free”, “Tell Me How”, “I Need You (Shine A Light)”, “One Of These Days”, “Love & Treat Me Right”, “Fare Thee Well, “Forevermore”
http://www.whitesnake.com
http://www.facebook.com/Whitesnake.official
http://www.myspace.com/whitesnake
Buy Forevermore (CD/DVD) (DIGIPACK) at Amazon.com
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Whitesnake – Live: In the Shadow of the Blues
Whitesnake – Live: In the Shadow of the Blues (2008, Icarus Music – Argentina Import)
Original Release: 2006, SPV Records/Steamhammer Records
Disc One
1. “Bad Boys” … 6:22
2. “Slide It In” … 5:11
3. “Slow An’ Easy” … 6:54
4. “Love Ain’t No Stranger” … 4:31
5. “Judgement Day” … 5:34
6. “Is This Love” … 4:58
7. “Blues for Mylene ’06″ … 3:31
8. “Snake Dance ’06″ … 2:03
9. “Crying in the Rain” … 5:46
10. “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City” … 8:44
11. “Fool for Your Loving” … 4:51
12. “Here I Go Again” … 5:53
13. “Still of the Night” … 8:38
Disc Two
1. “Burn – Stormbringer” … 8:38
2. “Give Me All Your Love” … 4:27
3. “Walking in the Shadow of the Blues” … 5:10
4. “The Deeper the Love” … 4:31
5. “Ready an’ Willing” … 5:41
6. “Don’t Break My Heart Again” … 6:08
7. “Take Me with You” … 7:50
8. “Ready to Rock” … 4:19
9. “If You Want Me” … 4:08
10. “All I Want Is You” … 4:12
11. “Dog” … 3:27
Band:
David Coverdale – Vocals
Doug Aldrich – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Reb Beach – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Uriah Duffy – Bass, Backing Vocals
Tommy Aldridge – Drums
Timothy Drury – Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Producer: David Coverdale, Dough Aldrich, Michael McIntyre
Having heard this album shortly after its release, I’ve wanted this album just as long but it seems like this was one of those albums that must’ve had a small pressing because it quickly shot up in price around the internet. Thankfully it was reissued (though I didn’t realize I was buying a reissue at the time) so the price was about $7 or $8 when I finally bought it online.
Though I’ve claimed to be a Whitesnake fan for years, this album along with Good to Be Bad really cemented my status as a fan and quickly catapulted Whitesnake near the top of my favorites list. Since Coverdale reformed the band in 2002, he’s kept amazingly talented musicians in the band and this particular line-up is probably one of the most impressive and powerful versions of the band ever as evidenced on this album. I can even vouch for them in concert because I was lucky enough to see them on the Good to Be Bad Tour (though the awesome Tommy Aldridge was no longer on drums). They have such a powerful, meaty, energetic sound. The Coverdale/Aldrich pairing has really produced some great things and I think this band has rejuvenated David Coverdale.
The only bad thing I can say about a performance here is sometimes Coverdale is straining, not often, but it happens. Which is odd because I don’t remember him sounding like this at all in concert, he sounded phenomenal then. Still, even when not 100% on his game, Coverdale is a better singer than most.
I’m not sure exactly when or where this album was recorded. They album gives credits to the 2005 and 2006 touring production team so I’m guessing these songs were culled from various performances though you can’t tell. If this was meant to give the illusion of being one show (or if it was truly was), the sequencing is weird. Disc One plays like an entire show from beginning to end while Disc Two’s live tracks seem kind of random and surely they wouldn’t end a show with “Take Me With You”! I guess they wanted to fit all the major Whitesnake songs onto the first disc.
Now, as if you can’t guess by now, the live portion of this album is fantastic but here’s the real reason I bought this album: for the four brand new studio songs that showed off this powerful new line-up. “Ready to Rock”, “If You Want Me” and “Dog” are welcome entries into the Whitesnake catalog. Much like the entire Good to Be Bad album, they are an updated take on the old Whitesnake song. Amazing songs. The only one that falls kinda short is “All I Want Is You” which is a ballad that tries to replicate “Is This Love”.
Great live album with some great new studio songs… Definitely an essential Whitesnake album!
Highlights: “Slide It In”, “Slow & Easy”, “Love Ain’t No Stranger”, “Blues for Mylene ’06″, “Crying in the Rain”, “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City”, “Still of the Night”, “Walking in the Shadow of the Blues”, “Ready to Rock”, “If You Want Me”, “Dog”
www.whitesnake.com
www.facebook.com/Whitesnake.official
www.myspace.com/whitesnake
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WHITESNAKE – Starkers In Tokyo
Whitesnake – Starkers In Tokyo (1997, EMI Records – UK Import)
1. “Sailing Ships” … 4:37
2. “Too Many Tears” … 4:13
3. “The Deeper The Love” … 4:09
4. “Love Ain’t No Stranger” … 3:15
5. “Can’t Go On” … 3:50
6. “Give Me All Your Love” … 3:21
7. “Don’t Fade Away” … 4:26
8. “Is This Love” … 3:09
9. “Here I Go Again” … 4:46
10. “Soldier of Fortune” … 4:22
Band:
David Coverdale – Vocals
Adrian Vandenberg – Guitar
Producer: David Coverdale
Starkers In Tokyo is a really cool live acoustic album that was recorded on July 5th, 1997 in Tokyo, Japan at an EMI Japan studio. It’s a very intimate setting with a small, restrained crowd (Coverdale cracks a few jokes about the reserved crowd and reveals himself to have a weird sense of humor).
This special show was put on at the request of EMI Japan in an attempt to help promote the Restless Heart album so it’s no surprise that three songs from the set list are from that album. Also, there are two songs from Slip of the Tongue. All five of those songs were written by Coverdale & Vandenberg. I’m surprised David didn’t go for some earlier Whitesnake material for this acoustic setting but I’m sure the Vandenberg factor played a role in that. Apparently, David hadn’t totally disowned the group’s late ’80s work just yet and was content to fill this album with ballads.
The album is really good, I’ve given this one multiple spins since winning it. It’s no secret that Coverdale is one of my favorite rock vocalists of all-time and this album is a great example of why. If it was anyone else singing these songs, it wouldn’t be half as good and that’s not a knock on the songs, it’s praise for Coverdale. And while I think Slip of the Tongue is just maybe the weakest Whitesnake album, “Sailing Ships” and “The Deeper The Love” come off really good in an acoustic setting. In fact, every song here does except “Here I Go Again”, which just doesn’t sound right without the bombastic production behind it.
It’s not the set list I would have chosen but this is another great entry into the Whitesnake discography.
Highlights: “Sailing Ships”, “Too Many Tears”, “The Deeper The Love”, “Love Ain’t No Stranger”, “Can’t Go On”, “Don’t Fade Away”
WHITESNAKE – Whitesnake
Whitesnake – Whitesnake (1987, Geffen Records)
1. “Crying in the Rain” … 5:37
2. “Bad Boys” … 4:09
3. “Still of the Night” … 6:38
4. “Here I Go Again” … 4:33
5. “Give Me All Your Love” … 3:30
6. “Is This Love” … 4:43
7. “Children of the Night” … 4:24
8. “Straight for the Heart” … 3:40
9. “Don’t Turn Away” … 5:07
Band:
David Coverdale – Lead Vocals
John Sykes – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Neil Murray – Bass
Aynsley Dunbar – Drums, Percussion
Additional Musicians:
Don Airey – Keyboards
Bill Cuomo – Keyboards
Adrian Vandenberg – Guitar solo (“Here I Go Again”)
Producer: Mike Stone & Keith Olsen
And with this, my Whitesnake collection is complete. I held off on getting this album for years because I knew the whole album by heart since I had owned the cassette since 1996 or so. Out of boredom, I finally plunked down a couple of bucks online to pick this one up.
Despite being the band’s most successful time, this really began the worst era for the band (which even Coverdale himself now admits). Released 3 years before this album, Slide It In was a perfect blend of their old blues-rock sound and pop-metal sound of the day but this cheesy album went overboard with the pop-metal and commercial rock sound and it has a high filler quotient as a result. Sure, there are a few classics here like the epic “Still of the Night” and the monster hits “Here I Go Again” and “Is This Love” but the blues influenced is basically gone and in its place is a lot of generic ’80s hard rock. At least Coverdale puts on another fine performance but the songs don’t really call for him to show off his voice too much.
This is one of Whitesnake’s worst albums but that said, it’s still an okay album that used to get a lot of play from me. I would rather listen to anything before or after this album and Slip of the Tongue though.
Highlights: “Crying in the Rain”, “Still of the Night”, “Here I Go Again”, “Is This Love”, “Don’t Turn Away”
THE COMPANY OF SNAKES – Burst The Bubble
The Company of Snakes – Burst The Bubble (2002, SPV/Steamhammer Records)
1. “Ayresome Park” … 0:59
2. “Labour of Love” … 4:06
3. “Ride, Ride, Ride / Run, Run, Run” … 4:46
4. “Burst the Bubble” … 4:23
5. “Sacrificial Feelings” … 4:28
6. “What Love Can Do” … 5:40
7. “Little Miss Happiness” … 4:09
8. “Hurricane” … 5:23
9. “Kinda Wish You Would” … 4:04
10. “Days to Remember” … 5:51
11. “Back to the Blues” … 4:26
12. “All Dressed Up” … 4:15
14. “Can’t Go Back” … 5:07
15. “She” … 3:59
16. “Ayresome Park – Reprise” … 1:00
Band:
Stefan Berggren – Vocals
Bernie Marsden – Guitar
Micky Moody – Guitar
Neil Murray – Bass
John Lingwood – Drums
Producer: Rainer Hansel
The Company of Snakes were formed in 1998 by former Whitesnake guitarists Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody. A year earlier, a previous version of the group was known as The Snakes with a then-unknown Jorn Lande on vocals. Is it just me or does that seem like a really odd combo? In both groups, former Whitesnake bassist Neil Murray was a participant and ultimately the band would once again shed its skin and become known as M3 with Marsden, Moody and Murray still at the core.
This particular version of the band once had former Bad Company singer Robert Hart in its ranks and then later Michael Schenker Group vocalist Gary Barden. Barden got as far as to record the live album Here They Go Again with the band (which was the group’s recorded debut as The Company of Snakes) but left the band before its release so the group’s THIRD singer Stefan Berggren filled in on vocals in the studio and all of Barden’s vocals were deleted. Rainbow/Whitesnake/Deep Purple keyboardist Don Airey was also briefly a member but left before the recording of this album.
As you might expect for a band that featured three of Whitesnake’s original members and played virtually nothing but early Whitesnake songs in concert, this album sounds like Whitesnake. There’s some AOR thrown in for good measure (“What Love Can Do”, “Hurricane”) but more or less Burst The Bubble displays much of the same bluesy hard rock that the early Whitesnake albums did. Heck, I can even take it a step further and say that “Kinda Wish You Would” sounds like what would pass for modern day country music. It’s a down-home rocker that would sound right at home playing in a country western bar somewhere in America’s heartland.
The obvious missing ingredient to all of this is David Coverdale and that’s very much a key ingredient in my opinion for this kind of blues-based hard rock. Berggren does a decent job on the album but he’s no Coverdale and lacks the power and charisma of David. Maybe Berggren himself thought the same because he left the band shortly after this album was recorded!
This isn’t an album I’ll be reaching for often but being a huge Whitesnake fan, I wanted to hear what some of the original members were up to and they turned in a solid effort. Similar hardcore Whitesnake fans will probably find this album of interest as well, especially if you like the early years.
I think the album art is pretty cool and it seems very much like an early Whitesnake cover. Seems like a cross between Lovehunter and Come an’ Get It.
Highlights: “Labour of Love”, “Burst The Bubble”, “Hurricane”, “Kinda Wish You Would”, “All Dressed Up”, “Can’t Go Back”
DAVID COVERDALE – Into the Light
David Coverdale – Into the Light (2000, Dragonshead)
1. “…Into the Light” … 1:16
2. “River Song” … 7:19
3. “She Give Me…” … 4:12
4. “Don’t You Cry” … 5:47
5. “Love is Blind” … 5:44
6. “Slave” … 4:51
7. “Cry for Love” … 4:52
8. “Living on Love” … 6:31
9. “Midnight Blue” … 4:58
10. “Too Many Tears” … 5:59
12. “Don’t Lie to Me” … 4:43
13. “Wherever You May Go” … 3:59
Musicians:
David Coverdale – Lead Vocals, Guitar (“…Into the Light”)
Doug Bossi – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Earl Slick – Guitar
Marco Mendoza – Bass, Spanish Guitar, Backing Vocals
Denny Carmassi – Drums
Derek Hilland – Keyboards
Mike Finnigan – Organ, Piano
John X. Volaitis – Keyboards, Percussion, Harp
Dylan Vaughan – Guitar
Tony Franklin – Bass
Bjorn Thorsud – Tambourine
Jimmy Z – Harmonica
Linda Rowberry – Vocals (“Wherever You May Go”)
Producer: David Coverdale
Not surprisingly, Into the Light, David Coverdale’s first official solo album in over 20 years sounds pretty similar to Restless Heart, the Whitesnake album that came out three years prior to this release. Restless Heart was originally intended to be a solo release but the record company interfered (as they are prone to do) and released it under the name “David Coverdale & Whitesnake”. Of course, the Whitesnake name was featured prominently on that album’s cover.
Well, Mr. Coverdale finally get his way and full solo credit on this release from mystery label Dragonshead. I see many listings online claiming this album was released by EMI but I don’t see their name anywhere in the credits and I can’t find anything about Dragonshead online. Coverdale’s vanity label? Anyway, Into the Light continues Coverdale’s journey back to his roots and there’s a few bluesy rockers and ballads on here that would sit comfortably on any early Whitesnake release like “River Song”, “She Give Me”, “Cry For Love” and ‘Living On Love”. “Don’t Lie To Me” is the hardest rocker of the bunch that seems to pull together all eras of Whitesnake, much like the entire Good to Be Bad album did.
Alongside the bluesy numbers is also a collection of fairly mellow melodic rock/pop numbers which don’t really intrigue me all that much but apparently this whole album was very cathartic for Coverdale who was still trying to find himself after allowing himself and Whitesnake to fall into the “hair metal” image in that was so popular in the late ’80s.
For some reason, Coverdale likes to cover his own material (to his credit, he did it quite successfully). He does it again here with a new version of “Too Many Tears”, which is just a slower version of an already slow song… which was released on Restless Heart only THREE YEARS earlier. Given the even slower tempo, Coverdale voice is restrained and the song just doesn’t work as well. Why even bother?
I do have to say that “Wherever You May Go” is a fantastic ballad, one of the best I’ve heard from Coverdale. I remember this album coming out in 2000 and had heard this song online and loved it, but didn’t buy the album. I guess I was afraid the whole album would be too mellow for me but this song that constant play on my computer back in those glorious Napster days.
The final word on Into the Light is that it’s a decent album. Anyone who liked Restless Heart will probably like this but there’s a few mellow moments on here I could have done without.
Highlights: “Slave”, “Cry For Love”, “Living On Love”, “Don’t Lie To Me”, “Wherever You May Go”
