Great White
Back to the Rhythm

November 2007
Released: 2007, Frontiers Records/Zink Music
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Anders Sandvall

After 8 years of silence comes the new album by the legendary Great White. After the release of their last studio album CAN’T GET THERE FROM HERE in 1999 several things happened to the band: they signed onto Frontiers Records and the band will celebrate their 25-year anniversary this year. Great White is one of those acts that don’t follow the latest trend within their genre; instead they stick true to their ideals and music. older fans of the band can be relieved; the guys sound just as they always have.

Blues-based hard rock is delivered by the band and it’s good to hear that Russell still has his voice almost in mint-condition. Band member Michael Lardie has produced, mixed, and engineered this album he says “the new songs sound fresh to me, very Great White, but with an approach of what we sound like in a live performance situation”. And I agree with Lardie; by listening to the first chords on the album you can at once tell that it’s Great White. Lardie has really done wonders with the production and he should get credit for that.

This comeback album contains 12 tracks, one of which is a bonus track for the European market called “30 Days In The Hole”. The length of the album at one hour feels pretty decent; it’s enough for a Great White album and you don’t get tired of the album because it’s too long.

Unfortunately, there are too many slow songs and ballads for my taste. There are 5 of them and 3 could have easily been erased from the start. Overall, it’s an album with heavy and solid rock tracks like “Back to the Rhythm”, “Here Goes My Head Again”, “Take Me Down”, “Still Hungry”, “Standin on the Edge”, “Neighborhood”, and “30 Days in The Hole”.

Russell is truly the greatest star in this band even though the rest of the band is highly skilled as well. Russell takes the album up a notch and every old fan of the band can rest assured that BACK TO THE RHYTHM is a genuine release in the true Great White spirit.



http://www.zinkmusic.com