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DON AIREY “Pushed to the Edge”
DON AIREY “Pushed to the Edge”
By Colonel Angus
It’s been about seven years since DON AIREY released a solo album. For those of you who have been living under a rock, DON AIREY is keyboardist extraordinaire with the mighty DEEP PURPLE but he has had a very lengthy career that has included RAINBOW and OZZY OSBOURNE. His session work includes BLACK SABBATH, UFO, JUDAS PRIEST, and GARY MOORE to name just a few. For this release, he has brought along fellow current DEEP PURPLE guitarist Simon McBride. Vocalist Carl Sentence who is currently fronting NAZARETH but also sang for PERSIAN RISK (which is where I first came across his vocal talents). Rounding out the line-up are Jon Finnigan on drums and bassist Dave Marks. I don’t know the latter two gentlemen but if they are playing with DON AIREY, you know they have to be great players.
While keyboards naturally play a huge part of the songs, the other instruments are given plenty of room to shine. Opening track “Tell Me” is a great example where AIREY is all over the song but McBride’s guitars cut through loud and clear. The song has a very DEEP PURPLE sound and would fit comfortably in their set list. The plodding “They Keep on Running” has a bit of that PURPLE vibe but I hear some 60s psychedelia thrown in for a unique mix.
Moving forward, the next track has a very YES sound but with plenty of hard rock to round things out. “Moon Rising” also have some wonderful vocals with Finnigan given some space to let loose in the middle section. The prog-ish keyboards is what really reminds me of YES. The middle-eastern elements of the chorus of “Rock the Melody” are extremely catchy and will have you singing it for days. McBride’s solo on this track is perfection and all the players play for the song and not try to outdo each other.
The one misstep on this record is the ballad “Flame in the Water” but I will admit I like the jazzy piano solo in the middle. There is nothing really wrong with the track but I’m not much of a ballad guy so I could have done without this song. Things get quickly corrected with the rousing “Out of Focus” which brings back that DEEP PURPLE sound. It is also one of the heavier tunes on “Pushed to the Edge” which after the ballad before is a welcome addition to the album. Switching gears a little, “Power of Change” is a hard one to categorize as it has some 70s rock mixed with some PURPLE and YES. It is a cool mix of styles that add another flavor to this release.
“Girl from Highland Park” is a nice piano focused instrumental that is mellow but doesn’t fall into that sappy ballad style. McBride’s acoustic guitar solo is also a highlight here and you can hear the chemistry between these two musicians. DEEP PURPLE made a good choice when enlisting McBride to replace Morse. I’m reminded of LED ZEPPELIN’s “Kashmir” with “Godz of War” as they both have that same epic sound. But it is not a copy as there are also some great prog keyboard parts that usher in some different elements making this another highlight on “Pushed to the Edge”.
The album ends with 80s sounding rocker “edge of Reality” and prog instrumental workout “Finnigan’s Awake”. When I say prog, I mean more of that 70s prog and not the DrREAM THEATERstyle that is popular today. All in all, a very enjoyable record. Some people might shy away thinking this release will be nothing more than keyboard compositions but they would be missing out on a disk full of great tunes that borrow elements from some of the great 70s hard rock bands. And let me be clear, “Pushed to the Edge” is all about the songs and not all about AIREY. He could have made this record showing off his keyboard wizardry but instead, he made an album full of high quality tunes that make for a very enjoyable listen.
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