Whitesnake

Unzipped Rhino Only the ballads, all the time.

David Coverdale was already a legendary classic-rock crooner before the 80s glam metal tsunami spat him out on top of bare-chest mountain. Unzipped is clearly something he’s been after for years: a chance to show off the grit and sparkle of his formidable vocal delivery without the overarching crunch of a heavy metal band behind him.

The album collects acoustic studio versions of songs from the last few Whitesnake albums (Summer Rain, Forever More), a smattering of solo stuff, previously unreleased blues jammer All The Time In The

World and even a couple of strings-only instrumentals as a bonus. This is obviously a much different experience from the balls-mashing-thegear-shaft macho strut of Whitesnake proper. And while it most definitely illuminates the sinewy prowess of Coverdale’s vocal chops, it will probably leave the average Whitesnake fan hungry for some powerdriven sleaze.

But for the die-hards it’s sure to please, especially the monstrous five-disc superdeluxe version.