Hey everybody: Steve morse is Back! After having toured with Deep Purple for a few years now, he’s back with his own band. Together with Dave LaRue on bass and Van Romaine on drums, the Steve Morse Band have put together a very slick new album. Changing style with every new song, Steve and his partners have managed to put together a versatile collection, yet still keeping things together by always ensuring the sound that says “SMB”. Although this album oficially has nothing to do with Deep Purple, there is no mistake in the sound. Not that there is any Purple sound in this album. More the opposite. If you have seen or heard DP play with Steve Morse, you will recognise his distinct sound the second you put on this album. Try song 4, Mechanical Frenzy, and you could just al easily be listening to one of his solos when playing live with the Purple People. This only points out the influence Morse has had on the later compositions of the Old Rockers. However, it emphasises his quite unique and flawless guitar playing style even more. Be it with the old songs or the newer stuff, you can always recognise Steve Morse.

If that is not enough, try song number 9, Clear Memories. Steve Morse joined Deep Purple as a replacement for Richie Blackmore, however disrespectful this may seem. On this track the comparison goes on. In his attempt to write yet another different sounding song, Steve has ironically written something that Richie Blackmore could have made with his later project, Blackmore’s Night. Let’s just call it a coincidence. Of course it’s very admirable to be able to write such different things. And even more to still make them sound like you. But maybe it’s because in the info sheet he keeps ranting on about his intentions with each song that I get the idea that he is almost too serious about it. Of coourse, that is just what Steve Morse is all about, but it takes away the fun of it all just a bit too much for my taste. So maybe you should be lucky that these remarks are not in the booklet so that you can jus0t enjoy the music and only that, which is why they invented music in the first place.