The cover album is a more difficult exercise than it may seem. Many bands, even established ones, have fallen short when attempting it. However, the announcement of Turning to Crime didn't really worry the fans: Deep Purple have been around so long that it's hard to imagine them falling prey to any obvious pitfalls. And, surprise surprise, the English quintet passes with flying colours, notably thanks to a dynamic tracklist that gives pride of place to traditional rock'n'roll. The band seems to have a lot of fun with the material: Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu (Huey Smith), Jenny Take a Ride! (Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels) and Watching the River Flow (Bob Dylan) are all pieces of authentic rock to get your feet tapping. More surprisingly, Deep Purple gets happily to grips with the soul swing of Ray Charles and Quincy Jones (Let The Good Times Roll), which sees Ian Gillan at the top of his game, and even with country music on the delightful The Battle of New Orleans by Lonnie Donegan and Johnny Horton. In the end, only the covers of Fleetwood Mac (Oh Well), Bob Seger (Lucifer) and Cream (White Room) come close to Purple's 'usual' sound. The other pieces covered by this vibrant tribute fall far outside the bounds of the British outfit’s normal fare. Guitarist Steve Morse is surprisingly subdued here, although he does manage to ruffle a few feathers on Oh Well. The big winners are undoubtedly Gillan, who proves once again what a great singer he is—especially given the great variety of sounds he must tackle here—and keyboardist Don Airey has a field day throughout the album's 50 minutes. He seems to be constantly at work, almost never leaving a single bar untouched, beavering away on either the Hammond organ or on the piano. Turning to Crime is a very good classic rock album in the broadest sense of the word: both the coverers and the covered are true classics. We saw this success coming a mile off—but it is satisfying nonetheless. © Charlélie Arnaud/Qobuz