Band: Great White
Album title: Rising
Label: Frontiers
Distributor: Rough Trade
Release date: 13/03/2009
Release: CD

Right, a couple of quick ones (a catch-up movement to still review a couple of albums which were already released, but we were not sent – because the label had changed their mode of promotion to the now somewhat general download mode – see also Icon and Street Legal).

Following the release of their comeback album Back To The Rhythm (review by yours truly posted 28/08/2007) Great White went on a world tour (including 14 gigs in Europe) celebrating the 25th anniversary of the band…and afterwards bassist Sean MacNabb opted out. He was duely replaced by Scott Snyder (formerly of Ramos and Accomplice), with whom the other original members returned to the studio to record the 12 tracks on the new album.

Fans of the band (which are still plentyful) will most probably disagree, but I suppose the good old days of such albums as Once Bitten…, Hooked, or even Psycho City can now be considered cherished history…and will never return! You’ll still get the occasional Soulful ballad in between the heartfelt Bluesey Hard Rock tunes, but somehow the quality of things ain’t quite what it used to be. No wonder they feel the need to finish the album with a cover of Rolling Stones‘ classic “Let’s Spend The Night Together”. Frankly, they could’ve done more of an effort to give the cover a flavouring of their own, because by trying to emulate it as well as possible GW is only falling flat on their face in my eyes (but that’s a very personal viewpoint). I can’t even direct you to any websites to listen to some music off the album, because at myspace.com/officialgreatwhite you’ll only find the title tracks of Back To The Rhythm and Once Bitten…, and I couldn’t even log onto the band’s own website (neither the one mentioned at the label’s profile, nor the one mentioned at the MySpace page).

When push comes to shove, this band will probably continue to have successful shows, but then mainly thanks to their old classics! As Hard Rock albums go, this recording is passable, but nothing to write home about!

78/100

Tony.