JACK RUSSELL’S GREAT WHITE – He Saw It Comin’

Great White was a great ’80s band that was always (mis)classified as a Hair Metal act, when in fact they were much more of a Blues-based Hard Rock band that had a knack for establishing comfortable grooves and penning catchy, memorable choruses.  Unlike many ’80s based bands, Great White was never really able to re-assemble themselves for later-career resurgence (e.g., Motley Crue, Poison), although they certainly had every right to their share of similar success.  Instead, the band became fragmented, which led to the eventual incarnation of “Great White” and “Jack Russell’s Great White”.  Due to the familiar voice, certainly Jack Russell’s version seems (and has seemed) more legitimate … but Jack has had to endure more than his fair share of struggles ever since the Rhode Island disaster horrified the world.

That aside, Jack has benefitted from personal success by way of cleaning up his act and finding his soulmate … and all of that has led him back into the studio to create He Saw It Comin’.  The album starts out strong with the first 3 or 4 tracks sounding like top notch Great White creations … plenty of energy, bluesy grooves, and catchy lyrics that will likely have Great White fans feeling well-satisfied and nostalgic.  However, on the early side of the mid-way point, Jack becomes very reflective and introspective, and just about all of the energetic vibe established early dissipates … so much so that this feels much more like a Jack Russell solo effort epitaph than a Great White (band) creation.  Not to confuse the point — the tracks are still “good” songs, but there’s little Hard Rock and certainly no Hair Metal to be found the rest of the way.

The two personalities of this record make it tough to listen to again and again … if you want to get pumped up, then you’re pretty much going to have to turn it off when you reach the midway point.  Conversely, if you want some mellow, smooth Melodic Rock, then you’d have to skip the first 3 or 4 tracks.  Jack’s been around long enough and has had enough success to do what he damn well pleases with respect to his new creations … but fans may find it tough to follow along with his vacillating approach regarding this album’s personality.

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