Whitesnake's Blues Album blurs genres but remains in the shadow of the blues

After Whitesnake albums called silver, gold, purple, red and white, David Coverdale completes a weird rainbow on The Blues Album

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Whitesnake - The Blues Album
(Image: © PLG)

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The third in a remixed and remastered trilogy, following last year’s The Rock Album and Love Songs; although since David Coverdale chose to ‘metal up’ his approach, whether the band are rockin’, lovin’ or sufferin’, such genres have blurred. 

Billed as “the band’s best blues-rock tracks” (albeit spanning just seven studio releases from 1984-2011), The Blues leans on the rock, but three from 1997’s Restless Heart (Take Me Back Again, Too Many Tears and Woman Trouble Blues) plus A Fool In Love (Good To Be Bad, 2008) at least exist in the shadow of the blues.

Elsewhere, deep cut If You Want Me is only so-so. 

Best of the bunch is River Song, from Coverdale’s 2000 solo album Into The Light, and the 14-track album ends with Crying In The Rain from 1987’s game-changing Whitesnake.

Neil Jeffries
Neil Jeffries

Freelance contributor to Classic Rock and several of its offshoots since 2006. In the 1980s he began a 15-year spell working for Kerrang! intially as a cub reviewer and later as Geoff Barton’s deputy and then pouring precious metal into test tubes as editor of its Special Projects division. Has spent quality time with Robert Plant, Keith Richards, Ritchie Blackmore, Rory Gallagher and Gary Moore – and also spent time in a maximum security prison alongside Love/Hate. Loves Rush, Aerosmith and beer. Will work for food.