WHITESNAKE: "Forevermore"

Rating: 8/10

Label: Frontiers 2011

Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Ere's a new album for ya!!! Well, 'new' would clearly stretch things a bit. I believe it's the old saying: "damned if you do, damned if ya don't" or if you'd rather prefer: "same, same, but different". Should I complain about obvious similarities to previous albums and songs or simply embrace the fact that it's nice to have the old 'Snakes back??? I honestly can't tell since it's on the one hand a classy display of bluesy hard rock and on the other not completely fulfilling their promises of world domination in 2011. I don't know, perhaps I just desperately need to point out a few things and cast the shadow of doubt?

I've been sick as a dog for weeks and I've certainly had the time to listen to "Forevermore" over and over and over again. Yes, it's true, the voice of Coverdale have lost a lot of "soul" and replaced it all with grit and husk. Nontheless, "Forevermore" is a very solid album by a very solid band. Very bluesy (ala' Lovehunter) at times and it's not really a question of returning to the U.S. sound of "1987" or even "Slide It In" (my favourite snakes albums). Well, a couple of the typical radio friendly schlock and ballads such as "Easier Said Than Done". Easily their best slow dance since the heydays actually. There's an essential difference between keeping it samey and pure plagiarism and I should point out that AC/DC been recording the same album over and over again for the past 30 years (and most people won't mind?). If anything, "Forevermore" makes me want to play the old albums and that should count for something, yeah?

Final verdict: Like the Four Tops? and Rod Stewart of lately sang, "It's the same old song but with a different meaning since you've been gone". By the way, Coverdale already did his Four Tops version back in 1989, I believe it's called "Now You're Gone", yeah? Oh, it's good to be bad...

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