=1

=1 is a record on which Deep Purple, welcoming Simon McBride as a new guitarist, again powerfully reaffirms its longtime core: improvisation, the bite of the riffs and an unshakable groove. Precisely because it knows the basic form of hard rock, the songs are not over-decorated, yet the dialogue of the playing has ease and rich play. A work where a veteran’s maturity and the stimulation of new talent coexist. From the drive of the opener “Show Me” and the catchiness of “Portable Door” to the aggression of “Sharp Shooter” and the melody of “Pictures of You,” every song is fulfilling. The light responses keys and guitar exchange, the bounce bass and drums powerfully push, and the bluesy feel that supports the singing — all of it moves livelily as a present-day band sound rather than displaying tradition in a museum. McBride’s guitar, while keeping respect for the past guitarists, surely breathes a new wind into the band. Never letting maturity become static, sounding it as ongoing rock, it is a record in Deep Purple’s manner. Showing that even after a long career its creative drive has not dimmed at all, it is a powerful, fulfilling work.