Published on May 23, 2003
Being a life-long Deep Purple fan makes it seem like you’re
obligated to check out all of the satellite and solo projects. In
many ways it’s a good thing because you get to be exposed to a lot
of good music. It’s been nearly 20 years since the last Roger
Glover solo album, 1984’s
The Mask. That was a very overlooked album, but at that time
Deep Purple’s reformation was in full swing, and what could
possibly compete with the excellent
Perfect Strangers?
Snapshot is a very varied album, probably unlike anything
Glover did as a solo artist. It’s an album that you put on late
night, and relax to it. There really aren’t any potential hits,
although these days with the right airplay anything can become a
hit. It’s an album that you listen to all the way through and
simply enjoy.
There are many guest musicians on this album, and that’s
probably why it sounds so different and diverse. There are some
southern rock influences here, but they seem to be very gentle. It
must’ve been the touring Purple did with Lynyrd Skynyrd that
eventually rubbed off on Roger. If you’re looking for any
Purple-related sounds you’ll hardly hear any. This album is a real
departure from what Glover does with Deep Purple. But, on the other
hand, why would he want to do solo albums that are identical to
what he’s already released?
Snapshot is definitely some good music, but this will
probably go unnoticed by the general public. Deep Purple fans will
pick it up out of curiosity, and others may accidentally get into
it as well. Basically it’s an album that fits any mood you might be
in. Let’s hope there won’t be another 15-20 years of waiting before
he decides to do another album, and how about another Gillan/Glover
collaboration?