So, while Great White, who split from Jack back in 2010, managed to get their ‘debut Jackless’ album out (the rather decent ‘Elation’) back in 2012, we’ve not really heard a long-form reply from Jack till now. With 8 years between albums (this one and Great White’s last with Russell – 2009’s ‘Rising’) there is a lot of expectation to say the least.
Of course to many fans the real shame is that there are two bands at all, and whilst we all know that the original fallout (we were told) stemmed from Jack’s illness which in part at least seems to have been exacerbated by his famous love for a drink and other substances; at the time Jack denied being off the wagon, the band seemed to insist otherwise. Thankfully we’re just here for the music.
As the press says “Jack Russell’s Great White represents the next phase of a legacy” the question is like with so many bands of a certain age is the current vintage a patch on what they laid down back in solo band the day?
Backed by long-time bassist Tony Montana—this time on guitar and keys; lead guitarist Robby Lochner, and drummer Dicki Fliszar along with studio bassist Dan McNay, Russell and band have delivered 11 new tracks of surprising variety.
‘Sign of the Times’ that gets the ball rolling is a nice, confident, slightly smoky mid-tempo rocker that does the trick, and Jack in truth sounds good, very good..
Sadly ‘She Moves Me’ that follows makes you almost immediately rethink, it sounds far too clean in every sense from the rather plonky eighties guitar to its real lack of life. It’s a ‘nice’ song but sounds a little dated and dates even faster when you hear the somewhat cringe-worthy and to us rather unnecessary rap mid song. Thankfully it’s easy to forgive a single misstep in 11.
‘Crazy’ that follows, is far better with an Aerosmith-like swagger and decent thrust but again a great song is held back by the production that attempts but thankfully fails to strangle the life out of it. The sweeping ballad ‘Love Don’t Live Here’ is better still, with Russell’s vocal perhaps not soaring the way it once did, but feeling really at home here, with some real and rather gratifying depth.
Deeper in ‘My Addiction’ has a nice swagger, an autobiographical lyrical leaning and completely out of place guitar solo that actually works brilliantly well, it manages to be somehow unexpectedly cool: almost the link between Lloyd Cole and the Commotions and The Angels.
Things get even more interesting after that: there’s an almost Beatleseque moment on ‘Anything for You’ a sweet jangly ballad and as if to say “hold that thought” ‘He Saw It Comin’’ the title track has a sort of early British Rock lilt to it too. It’s a damned good song, and in these moments you realise that you are getting little glimpses that seem to suggest Russell is looking to push his boundaries a bit more than you might have imagined.
Sadly the initial faux Reggae beat of ‘Don’t Let Me Go’ doesn’t quite work (though its growing on me), but again, great songs and even greater ideas are hindered by the ‘far too clean for its own good’ production that strips away the grit that was always so compelling when Russell fronted that ‘other’ band.
As we close ‘Spy vs. Spy’ seems almost out of place taking its cues from bands like Rainbow and Deep Purple, but again it’s put through the washer before it’s delivered. As a standalone track it’s sure to be a fan favourite. ‘Blame it on the Night’ that follows takes as a cue the sound of late eighties Alice Cooper and ‘Godspeed’ closes with quirky early Rock and Roll all ‘rather Sha-Na-Na’ and just a lot of fun.
The oddest thing about the album to me is that the really rather good ol’ dirty blues of ‘Hard Habit’ the song still featured on the main page of Mr Russell’s website isn’t here. Maybe that’s because it’s the sort of song we might expect on Russel’s highly anticipated new outing. It makes you wonder if Jack gone too far in trying to distance himself from the trademark sound we know and love him for? I’ll let you decide… for us it’s a release that is all the sweeter for trying to push a few boundaries and confound expectations.
The best place of course to catch Jack has always been live, I wonder how many of these songs will make the setlist?
Jack Russell’s Great White is
Jack Russell (Vocals)
Tony Montana (Guitar, Keyboards)
Robby Lochner (Guitar)
Dan McNay (Bass)
Dicki Fliszar (Drums)
