Rossland Radio Co-op your voice in the wilderness

“GOOD TO BE BAD” Whitesnake (deluxe edition) (Steamhammer/ SPV) *** ¾
Do we need a new Whitesnake album? No- but after a successful European run last year David Coverdale has delivered a hefty, solid, rockin’ album.

To many “Good To Be Bad” will sound like more of the same, which is somewhat true yet not a bad thing. Thick and meaty riffage that would sound great in a speeding Camaro, the best sound production-wise and subtle shift in lyrical focus make this a different beast with a throatier growl.

Nobody can accuse Coverdale of caging from Shakespeare, but the focus has shifted from his dick to his heart. Don’t get me wrong- I LOVE the old stuff circa “Slide It In” and stop when I’m channel surfing if I come across Tawny Kitaen slithering all over the hood of a Jag- but David writing the same stuff now, at his age, would be creepy.

There is the usual ‘snake-style balladry here ala “Is This Love” but you and I know that’s the best chance this album has of getting any radio support. The fact that the band has been a revolving cast of characters since day one (aside from Coverdale) is a non-issue. The band at present includes guitarists Reb Beach (ex-Alice Cooper) and Doug Aldrich, drummer Chris Frazier, bassist Uriah Duffy and keyboardist Timothy Drury but as long as David is at the mic, it ALWAYS sounds like Whitesnake.

Lyrics aside the main difference between this and earlier stuff is that the sound is anchored in guitars instead of keyboards as it was before Coverdale’s self-imposed semi-retirement to Lake Tahoe. On casual listen “Good To Be Bad” sounds exactly how you expect a Whitesnake album to sound, but therein lies its strength. This disc is available in two configurations; standard single disc album, or the deluxe 2-disc edition, including a bonus disc with several live cuts from last year’s tour and an enhanced video.

KEY CUTS: “Lay Down Your Love”, “Summer Rain”, “Best Years”. From the bonus disc; “Take Me With You”