Don Airey – Pushed to the edge

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7.0

• Band:
  Don Airey
• Duration: 00:56:07
• Available from: 28/03/2025
• Label:

• hemusic

Streaming not yet available

A short distance from the publication of “= 1” of the Deep Purple, an alleadable Don Airey returns with his new solo album, “Pushed to the edge”, seven years after the previous (and excellent) “One of a Kind”. The first impression, to tell the truth, is not the best, due to a bad cover, almost certainly the result of the generative age, and for an old graphic concept, which reminded us of a certain progressive aesthetic of the first two thousand.
Fortunately, our judgment must be built on music and in this Don proves that he is not only a executor superfine, but also a sailed author. Not that this is a novelty, at least for those who have followed his career in the Deep Purple: after collecting the legacy of a giant like Jon Lord, the keyboard player quickly turned into one of the engines around which the compositions of the purple, and splendid albums such as “Infinite” and “Whooosh!” I'm there to testify to him.
As we had already underlined at the time of “One of a Kind”, Don Airey does not approach the writing of a solo album thinking about it as a pedestal on which to rest his keyboards. It is clear that its tool is always well present and protagonist of numerous steps, but writing is always put at the service of the songs, with the aim of creating something capable of being credible regardless.
Don is joined by a well -rooted band, which sees the bassist Dave Marks and the drummer Jon Finnigan in the rhythmic section, and to the guitar Simon McBride, who in the meantime made the definitive career jump, entering stable in the Deep Purple. On the other hand, two singers alternate, Carl Sentro of the Nazareth and Mitchell Emms alternate, who reached fame in the British version of the talent show The Voice.
Compared to the previous album, “Pushed to the edge” is less scratchy and Heavy, with shades that sometimes come to touch the Aor, as in the case of “Moon Rising”. There are not many points in common with the Deep Purple and Don was intelligent in selecting songs not immediately superimposed on those of his mother band, even more so, with Simon McBride integrated into the Purple Line-up.
So we find more emphatic and orchestral songs, such as “Rock the Melody”, which plays on exotic atmospheres inspired by India; A ballad in full eighties style as “Flame in the Water”; To get to more prog rock moments, such as “out of focus”, where the dialogue between guitar and organ Hammond finds its peak.
There is also no lack of more energetic and direct songs, such as the initial “Tell Me”, which reminded us of Michael Schenker's msg, and we also mention two instrumental compositions, “Girl from Highland Park”, played all on piano, acoustic guitar and a nice roasting of arches, and “Finnigan's Awake”, a progressive turbine in which guitar and guitar Keyboards challenge each other in a duel with the usual huge class.
There is some songs that has not convinced us, like the long “Godz of War” – a song that would like to be epic but which instead is confusing and not very harmonious – and in general the most heavy cut of the previous work seemed more convincing to us. However, albeit with some flexion, we find ourselves once again faced with a solid album, played by God and full of that profession that only a musician of the caliber of Don always manages to guarantee.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5v3kxms7be