Turning to Crime

Turning to Crime is the first all-covers studio album in Deep Purple’s history, built only from songs by others who influenced them. To material chosen from a truly wide range of genres — blues, rock and roll, soul and more — are added Don Airey’s keyboards, Steve Morse’s guitar and Ian Gillan’s singing, so that an unmistakably Deep Purple breath arises in every song. From Cream’s “White Room” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well” to the Yardbirds’ “Shapes of Things” and Bob Dylan’s “Watching the River Flow,” the very selection tells of the members’ musical roots and broad tastes. Its greatest appeal is foregrounding the band’s own improvisation and ensemble conversation rather than aiming only for fidelity to the originals. It is fun to hear as a work that, rather than merely tracing a long-standing repertoire, freely plays its influences anew in the present-day band sound. A veteran’s ease and the joy of playing overflow throughout. Letting you enjoy Deep Purple’s musical background in three dimensions from another angle, it is a unique, playful covers work.