Slaves and Masters

Slaves and Masters is an unusual thirteenth album on which Deep Purple, newly welcoming vocalist Joe Lynn Turner, who also thrived in Rainbow, shows a color different from before. Turner’s soaring, refined, melodic voice gives the band’s sound a fresh face it had not had. A record on which a more arena-rock, catchy side comes to the fore. From the dramatic drive of the opening hit “King of Dreams” and the lyricism of the beautiful ballad “Love Conquers All” to the aggression of “The Cut Runs Deep,” the songs are full of melodic appeal, while cuts like “Fire in the Basement” and “Fortuneteller” convey a refined musicality particular to the Turner era. Because it differs greatly from the golden-era style with Ian Gillan, views are divided, yet it is without doubt an intriguing work strongly reflecting Ritchie Blackmore’s tastes. Even in the band’s long history, it occupies a particularly unusual place. Glimpsing another possibility of Deep Purple, it is a melodic, accessible fine work.