Lovehunter

Lovehunter is the second album on which the guitars of Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden and the keyboards of Jon Lord create rich shadow, centered on David Coverdale’s soulful voice. On a foundation of blues weight, the songs push forward powerfully as hard rock. It is a record from the period when Coverdale, having passed through his Deep Purple years, was establishing his identity as his own band. The tenacious groove of “Walking in the Shadow of the Blues” and the boldness of the title track “Love Hunter” convey the essence of early WHITESNAKE well. Songs like “Long Way from Home,” “Medicine Man” and “Mean Business” house both blues-rock heat and a British dampness. Valuing the heat and humanity of the playing over refinement, it is a flavorful record full of the feel particular to British hard rock, with Jon Lord’s weighty organ giving the songs firm thickness and depth.