Everything about
Coverdale/Page
, right down to the goofy copping of the
Presence
artwork, is an attempt to recapture the pompous majesty of
Led Zeppelin
. It doesn't succeed, of course, but it does leave all of the
Zep
clones in the dust. Although
Jimmy Page
plays better here than he has since 1979's
In Through the Out Door
, there is a conspicuous lack of solos. If you've never liked
David Coverdale
, his performance will not change your opinion. Both fare better on the rockers; the power
ballads
tend be slightly tedious. Essentially,
never quite rivals the bold experimentation of
, yet at its best moments, it's a guilty pleasure. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine