There are those who would like to lump Deep Purple into the "heavy metal" category. Certainly the band has always been hard rock, but they definitely don't fit under the metal banner. The group has had one of the more stellar histories in music, but also has been plagued with lineup changes and personal friction. Since their beginnings in the late 1960's they have produced several hit songs, including the immortal "Smoke on the Water" and a string of albums that have been consistent sellers. They have also gone through a seeming revolving door of lineup changes, with members leaving and returning. The group broke up for quite a few years only to resurface in the 1980's. Once known nearly as much for the notorious temperament of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore as for their musical prowess, even he is long gone by now. Still the group has a core of three long time Purple members in the persons of Roger Glover, Ian Paice and Ian Gillan. The guitarist in the band these days is Steve Morse. While he has been with DP for quite a few years now, he was also known as a long time member of the Dixie Dregs and was in Kansas for a while. In addition he has a successful and long-lived solo career. Rounding out the lineup is Don Airey who (although he has worked with quite a few artists over the years) is probably best known as the first keyboardist in Ozzy Osbourne's solo band. Such is the lineup that produced the latest Deep Purple disc Bananas and will be performing in Rockford's Davis Park as part of the Stars N Guitars series.

In many ways Bananas is a classic Deep Purple album. The blend of bluesy rock mixed with clever lyrical expressions and classic hard-edged incendiary instrumental virtuosity feels right at home in the catalog. They band manage to keep the home fires burning while still bringing in the musical expressiveness of the newer members of the group. There are times when you will feel as if Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore are both still in the band, while at other places on the disc Morse and Airey show off their own flavorings on their respective instruments. Morse is certainly one of the few guitarists in the world who could ever hope to fill Blackmore's shoes and Airey, while not Jon Lord, has a keyboard sound that works quite well in the mix. They seem to be able to bring enough of the classic Purple sound to the playing field, but still manage to create something entirely new. The band has been quoted as not liking the term "classic rock", but yet the band still give us a sound that holds up to the legacy of this classic band. The thing that separates them from some of the "classic" bands out there is that they are not restricted by the music that the earlier incarnations have made. Instead, that sound is the foundation on which this new Deep Purple builds their own musical house. While it doesn't always work, this building should make both old time Deep Purple fans and those who want new creativity from the band feel like they can call this "home".

The opening track of the disc is "House of Pain", and it is a stomper that would have been very much at home on any of the group's discs from their second coming in the 1980's. As a striking contrast, they end the album with "Contact Lost". Its mellow progressive rock stylings feel a lot like something from one of Morse's solo releases. Not everything is a winner here. At times the disc suffers a bit from being a bit too "familiar", seeming to copy the Purple formula a bit too closely without moving it forward enough. Still, the weak moments are not all that lacking, and there is plenty of stronger material on show to make up for it. While this is not the most consistent album you will find, even the classic Purple of the '70's frequently had similar results on their releases. Overall, though, this one should please old-time Deep Purple fans while serving as a great introduction to the sound of the new lineup. It also would make for a great sneak peek for those looking to catch them live.