In the liner notes to
Great White's tenth record, a formulaic band famous for remakes calls
Let It Rock the band's "quintessential" album. Unfortunately, the front cover demonstrates how lame
Jack Russell's crew can be, and also how maybe the rocking chair isn't that far off for these ol' dudes. But after the light acoustics of the preceding
Sail Away destroyed their commercial momentum, the boys prove they can still spike the punch, as opener
"My World " (co-written with
Don Dokken who produced their debut),
"Lil Mama," "Anyway I Can," and a couple of other cuts demonstrate.
"Pain Overload" is just that;
"Lives in Chains" cranks, but the over-reaching words get in the way. And those deadly snooze blooze creep into the third song (named for a famous
Flack/
Hathaway duet). Luckily, top-notch playing (mostly from multi-instrumentalist
Michael Lardie bringing banjo, flute, and sundry other goodies to the party) keeps the whole shebang afloat.
Great White defiantly lets their
hair metal flag fly, and for the few who care at this point,
Let It Rock delivers the goods. ~ Whitney Z. Gomes
