Whitesnake Bares Its Fangs With 'Good To Be Bad'

Whitesnake
Good To Be Bad
SPV/Steamhammer

Review by Nightwatcher

On the heels of the new studio tracks included on the' Live: In The Shadow Of The Blues' double album a couple of years ago, the legendary David Coverdale is back to celebrate Whitesnake's 30th anniversary with the first studio album by the band in over a decade, the hard rockin' 'Good To Be Bad'. Written by Coverdale and guitarist Doug Aldrich, it shows conclusively that there's plenty of life left in this rock institution.

So, how does it stack up to their earlier work? Very favorably actually. Consisting of 8 rockers and 3 ballads, this is a remarkably solid album from start to finish, and with a little luck, given the recent successes of veterans such as The Scorpions and the renewed interest in all things retro and classic rock, could mean a return to the charts. While Coverdale is the only holdover from the last 'Snake album, the current band, which consists of the previously mentioned Aldrich, former Winger/Dokken guitarist Reb Beach, bassist Uriah Duffy and drummer Chris Frazier (Don Henley) infuses the material with fresh intensity.

While not containing any epic tracks ala 'Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City' or 'Still Of The Night', what one will find is a fine encapsulation of where the band is today. No concessions are made to modern trends - tracks like the muscular opener "Best Years", the title track, or actually any of the songs contained here could easily be interchanged with the better selections from the band post 1984's 'Slide It In'. Coverdale is in fine voice, and proves that many so- called modern rock vocalists could stand to learn a thing or two...or three in terms of delivery.

If one were expecting a return to the days of the pre MTV bluesy band, you won't find it here. But what you will find is one damn fine album with no dropped tuned guitars, guttural vocals, or any of what are stock in trade for bands today. If you were a fan of the band 20 or 25 years ago, you can pick this one up without hesitation. 8.5/10 http://whitesnake.com/redsite/index.asp