Review: Great White “Elation”

Rock
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…along comes Great White’s 12th studio album, “Elation”. While Great White is best known for their 80s hits “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”, “Rock Me”, “Save Your Love”, and “Call It Rock N Roll”, the band has been quietly churning out records regularly, featuring their trademark blues-tinged rock.

It can be argued that “Elation” is not really a Great White album – the band decided to record without founding member and distinctive vocalist Jack Russell while he was ill. Instead, XYZ singer Terry Ilous has stepped up to the mic. “This is a new birth of the band,” drummer Audie Desbrow says. “I wanted to call the album ‘Tabula Rasa’ which means rebirth, but we went for ‘Elation’ because of the euphoria in the atmosphere. It’s a fresh and healthier start than ever before. I’m like a kid in a candy store.” I’m not privy to all the politics of the band, so I’ll just comment on what I am qualified to talk about: the music.

First, I’d argue the record retains a great deal of the Great White sound despite the change in lead vocalist. Ilous is a fine lead singer and his tone fits into the band’s bluesy rock groove better than I expected. Another distinctive feature of Great White has always been Mark Kendall’s guitar licks, and they are front and center on “Elation”.

The record starts with “(I’ve Got) Something For You” – the song features some sizzling riffs and leads, but is kind of a lackluster beginning. “Feelin’ So Much Better” isn’t so much better, but at least has a somewhat memorable chorus. “Heart Of A Man” is a decent mid-tempo cut and the driving tale of “Shotgun Willie’s” is pretty good. Unfortunately, too many songs are way too long and just ramble into nowhere – the worst offenders being “Love Train”, “Resolution”, and “Lowdown”, which is probably the worst song Great White has ever done.

Overall, any euphoria the band experienced making this record doesn’t translate into “elation” - it’s pressing it just to call this record “nice”. A handful of tracks are fair to good, but too many are a chore to get through.

Great White – Official site.

Classic melodic rock CD of the week

By Stephen Kasenda

GREAT WHITE “…Twice Shy” (1989)

The fourth album, "...Twice Shy", strengthened Great White's position by claiming double platinum in 1989 thanks to their huge hits, "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" and the ballad, "The Angel Song", which raced the ladder of Billboard Hot 100 back in the days. Musically, Great White stripped down most of their rocking tracks and introduced a more laid-back release compared to their prior albums, but tracks like "Move It" or "Baby's On Fire" still rolled highly, rocking with style, and Mark Kendall's soulful solos with Russell's roaring vocals were paired perfectly.

"House of Broken Love", a bluesy ballad with such a passionate intro tells the story about a failed relationship from both Kendall and Russell's point of view. The emotion he poured into his singing is just flawless, and this track is definitely one of the best they ever made, but I always have a thing about Great White's ballads - they really know how to make a great one. The Ian Hunter cover, "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", is another hot track for the money. These tracks alone make the album worthwhile. I have to admit that despite the commercial success, this album has too many fillers, including the unnecessary "Heart The Hunter" and "She Only".

"…Twice Shy" isn't really essential since you can find all the great tracks in their greatest hits compilation except for the piano ballad, "The Angel Song". But if you like a relaxing rock and roll show with ballads for the cold and lonely night, this album can be bought cheap easily, so grabbing one won't cost you any harm.

Read more of Stephen’s features at MetalMusicArchives.