Customer Reviews

Rising

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Newly signed to Frontiers Records, blues rockers Great White are back with their 11th studio album entitled Rising. It's good to see the boys in Great White sticking around after their long overdue reunion. The band's 2007 comeback album Back to the Rhythm reminded me how much I missed new Great White material, and that umpteen live/covers/hits compilations just couldn't fill the void.

Stylistically, Rising is very similar to Back to the Rhythm, and finds Great White emphasizing their laid-back, bluesy side rather than the kind of hard charging party rock that they built their reputation on in the 1980's. I love those 80's albums, but there's just something about this band's later sound that I find absolutely beautiful.

There are a few rockers on Rising, like "Danger Zone", and "Shine" and "Loveless" have their rockin' moments, but by and large this is a pretty mellow album. The band seems comfortable and confident, and the result is a very mature, well written album. Melodic, moving songs like "I Don't Mind" and "Loveless" are as good as anything the band has recorded in a long time, and there are several other memorable songs on Rising that showcase Great White's knack for blues-based rock & roll. They've been at this for more than 25 years, and have aged like a fine wine. For better or worse (and to me it's definitely for the better), this is the new Great White sound.

Great White fans that have stuck with the band over the years and have come to love their bluesy side should enjoy Rising at least as much as Back to the Rhythm. If you're expecting a return to the band's 80's rocking sound though, this isn't going to make you very happy.

I've been a GW fan for over 20 years, and have every major release that they have put out, so I know their entire catalog very well. I was a little disappointed that the album wasn't a little harder sounding - I'd like it to rock a little more, as that has usually been what this band was all about - save for a few ballads. This album takes a softer mellower tone - almost like it was intended to be played on a different radio station, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. It has a different feel and sound, and at first, I thought Jack didn't even sound like Jack - his voice is lower and smoother than usual on most of the tracks. Marks sizzling guitar is rarely featured - instead it provides a solid foundation in the background. You won't find any songs with their classic bluesy hard-rock sound that they are known for, but the more I listen to this album the more it grows on me. I like it, and I'm glad I bought it, but I still look forward to another hard rocking album in the future. Hardcore GW fans won't be disappointed, and this album might even earn them a few new fans.

Great White never ceases to amaze me. It's just awesome how they reinvent their sound from album to album. Rising just grows on you more and more after each listen. From rockers Situation and All Or Nothin' to nice ballads Last Chance and Only You Can Do, you get a dose of everything. It's a great listen all the way through, you won't be skipping any songs. My favorite track My Sanctuary is very special, and one of Great White's finest. I highly recommend this album. Check out the bands new website www.callitrocknroll.com.

I have been a fan for 20+ years and am amazed that they continue to put out album after album that I truly enjoy. As I get older I enjoy a bit more mellow and "mature" songs, so it's only fitting that I'd like this album as it seems to tailor to my tastes.

Don't get me wrong, I still love a great guitar riff (aka. Demon Alcohol by Ozzy), but I also have a softer side.

Put it this way, this is one of the few CDs I own that my wife could actually tolerate. :)

I've always loved the music from Great White. I was "Hooked" when I first heard them and continue to do so today. We all need to put the tragedy of the band behind us and get back to the gift they offer us - great rock-n-roll. I support Great White with all my heart and this album gives me a taste of that good ole' feeling once again. Thanks GW!...je

Any true fan of Great White will love this album. To me this is clssic GW. I love it,and I would'nt expect anything less from GW. I AM A TRUE FAN!

For those of you who are true Great White fans,this album contains the true signatures we have all grown to know.If you are looking for the harder edge of these guys,its not there,but it does show how far the band has come in writing material and all the tunes could very well into a GW show.From start to finish it flows with awsome music,kick back and go with it and listen and you will see just how great this album is

The Great White have managed to pull of something that most of their late-1980s-era Hair Metal brotheren have not - they have made an album that is exciting and relevant, twenty-years later.

In fact, this album, to my ears, is the best Great White album ever. Instead of trying to stay the same as some of their Hair Metal bretheren, or trying too hard to be totally modern as some of their other contemporaries have; these guys have kept their basic sound but expanded on it in interesting ways. You can see more Blues than you used to see in their old material, and just a touch of Reggae sometimes.

And these fellows have grown immensely as songwriters. One of my first reactions, on hearing the excellent new material, was to check the liner notes and see if a song doctor such as Desmond Child, Jim Vallance, or Jack Blades was helping out. But ninety percent of these songs were written by members of the band. The best of Great White may be yet to come. If this album is any indication, let's hope so!

Been Great White fan for well over 20 years now this band has always put out albums you can listen to over and over and never get sick of them this is another abum that keeps growing on you more you hear it and never get sick of another classic sound of Great White .

This would be a great collection of of all their mellow stuff on one CD; and instead its a new CD with all mellow songs that you can hum too!?!? My personal favorite: Danger Zone is very good, but not an answer to actually "rocking".
I understand we all get older, but C'mon Man! It is O.K.; that's it! I would love to give it 2.5 stars because its missing half of what it should have; and I rounded up because what these guys used to do! Great White has amazing individual talent...use it! If this is who they are now, I respect their decision, and I will remember their energy from the past. Maybe they can pick up the tempo and have some energy and turn it loose on the next release.