Into the Light

by Alex HendersonIn 2000, David Coverdale was officially a full-time solo artist, but it wasn't like the former Whitesnake and Deep Purple vocalist had never recorded an album by himself -- his first solo project, Northwinds, came out in the late '70s. Although not groundbreaking, 2000's Into the Light is a decent solo effort that should please those who admire his '70s and '80s output. In fact, this isn't a radical departure from the British singer's work with Whitesnake and Deep Purple. Instead of attempting to be relevant to the alternate rock scene of 2000, Coverdale sticks with the type of commercial hard rock, arena rock, and power ballads that he is best known for. And even though the songs (all of which he wrote or co-wrote) aren't quite in a class with his best Purple and Whitesnake offerings, they are enjoyable; Coverdale's die-hard fans will find that he is as confident and assured on bluesy rockers like "Cry for Love" and "River Song" as he is on the power ballad "Don't You Cry." Into the Light often sounds like it could have been recorded in the 1970s or 1980s instead of 2000, which is just as well -- Coverdale aficionados won't find innovation on this CD, but they will find that the singer is still quite capable of holding their attention.