| The
Review |
Sometimes first impressions can be decieving!...When I
listened to this CD for the very first time, I walked away
somewhat disappointed. Expectations can mean a lot, and this
music was simply not what I expected. I had spoken with Geoff
Downes at a 2005 Asia gig (about eight months prior to this
albums release) and he described White's music as "a mix of
prog and AOR". In fact, he mentioned that there would be an
"epic" prog track on the album. Well, there is no epic prog
to be found here at all - perhaps a song was cut from the
album, or maybe edited down into a shorter piece. Either way,
that first listen certainly thwarted my expectations!...But
then something happened. I listened to the CD again a few
days later, and then listened again - and I soon found that
I was enjoying it, with many of its musical hooks getting
stuck in my head.
I guess you could say that I layed aside my original
expectations, and just accepted this album of it's own terms...For
the uninitiated, "White" is a new side project from legendary
Yes drummer Alan White. His bandmates for this debut outing
are Kevin Currie (vocals), Steve Boyce (bass) Karl Haug (guitar),
and of course, Geoff Downes (of Asia, Yes, & Buggles fame)
on keyboards. Their music is mainly a mix of 80's AOR and
hard rock, with only occasional, subtle prog-rock touches
(there are also a few traces of reggae and world music to
be found.) Yes freaks and/or drum aficionados looking for
the Alan White of "Sound Chaser" and "Ritual" will likely
find themselves disappointed. More accurate points of Yes-reference
would probably be "The Calling" or "Rhythm of Love". Is that
a bad thing??? In my opinion, it's not. Mainstream rock, when
done well, is just as much of a legitimate art form as prog
- and these guys are damn good in their chosen style. And
although the band may wear White's name, this is obviously
a true group effort (four of the five members contribute to
the songwriting, and production duties are credited to the
group as a whole.) Kevin Currie's high, ultra-raspy vocal
style will probably not be everyone's cup of tea, but I for
one really like him - especially in his more emotive, 'theatrical'
moments.
I also like the fact that guitarist Karl Haug can rock
hard without falling into the annoying heavy metal pyrotechnics
that weigh down many other bands. It could be said that Haug
has a style similar to Saga's Ian Crichton or Asia's Al Pitrelli
- I call it "meaty, yet melodic". As for the individual songs,
the best of the crop are "New Day" (a rockin', attention-grabing
opener which displays quite nicely what this band's all about),
"Beyond the Sea of Lies" (probably my favorite here, with
a great chorus, a dramatic arrangement, and some great anti-war/anti-Bush
lyrics that make me want to shout "Amen!" at the end), "Give
Up Giving Up" (one of the album's catchiest tunes, with a
great vocal from Currie and just a hint of reggae in the chorus),
"Crazy Believer" (defininitly the least commercial track here,
and the hardest to describe - but there is an intensity to
this one that really works. Some great "swirling" keyboard
sounds from Downes, too. Is that the old Fairlight synthesizer
from his "Drama" days I'm hearing???) "Once and For All" (a
hard rock tune built around some beefy guitar riffs and a
big chorus. Were it not for Downes colorful keyboard work,
this song wouldn't sound too far out of place of an old Bad
Company or Grand Funk Railroad album), "Mighty Love" (featuring
a bouncy sing-along chorus, this is the one where Alan White's
reaggae influence really comes in!
Although this would usually not be my type of music,
there is something about this song that I really like. Some
nice spiritually-tinged lyrics, too) and "Loyal" (a mid-tempoed
piece that fluctuates between a hard rock chorus, and mellower,
acoustic verses - this song tells the story of a friendship
in trouble. It's one of my favorites from the album, featuring
an emotional vocal from Currie, and some subtle keyboard flavors
from Downes.)...So, any criticisms? Well, the last track (the
folksy, acoustic "Waterhole") just doesn't seem to fit well
in my opinion. I would have loved for this album to end with
a powerful "bang!" - instead it sort of fizzles out with the
weakest, most forgettable track of the bunch. Another track,
"Fate", seems to me like B-side material (although perhaps
I'm in the minority, as other reviews seem to like the song.)
I also have mixed feelings about the Roger Dean cover art.
Don't get me wrong - I'm a dedicated Yeshead and have always
loved Dean's work. This may even be one of his best images
to date. However, the cover art simply screams out "YES!"
- while perhaps, as a new band, White should have gone for
their own distinctive cover style.
It seems to me that the best way to market this album
would be to AOR fans. In the crowded (and finicky) modern
prog market, a hook-driven album like this will probably get
dismissed as "too commercial", and could easily get lost in
the shuffle of more adverterous new releases...In closing,
it's become obvious from the reviews on Amazon (as well as
comments posted in various Yes fan forums) that this album
has recieved a very mixed reception from Alan White's fanbase.
Some love it. Some hate it. Many fall somewhere in between.
Anytime an album recieves such divisive reactions, there is
only one fair thing to do...give the album a listen and make
up your own mind!
MY RATING:
Three and a Half Stars (out of five).
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