WHITE

Having lived in Bellevue near Seattle, USA for many years, Alan White has naturally taken an interest in the local music scene; recently he has worked with local band MerKaBa from time to time. Simultaneously, Alan began work on a new project of his own, using members of MerKaBa and another local band called Treason in the line up. Demos were recorded by this band, the name adopted being White. One final line up change was to ensure before the band recorded an official album, when former Yes and long time Asia keyboards player Geoff Downes was brought in to replace the current keyboard player. Interestingly, Downes involvement appears to have been whited out on the band's current website.

The way the album was put together was similar to the approach taken for Alan's solo album "Ramshackled" many years previously, although the results are quite different. That album was a fusion based affair, while this is a much more straightforward rock album. There is not a lot of prog going on here, the songs rely on strong melodies, catchy rhythms, and other AOR tenets. I must confess that while vocalist Kevin Currie has a voice well suited for the harder style of rock, I found his contribution to this album to be something of a mismatch.

The band's style has conveniently been likened to that of Asia, perhaps as much due to the links between Yes and Asia as in terms of the actual music. That said, the tight nature of the arrangements and brevity of the tracks do invite such comparisons. For me though, the music here does not have the consistency we associate with Asia, the songs jumping between different pop rock styles much more randomly. To that extent, listeners are far more likely to find something they like here, but perhaps less likely to find the package as a whole to be satisfactory.

Expectations might be at their highest for the 7+ minute "Mighty love", but this turns out to be a rambling soft reggae number; fine in its own way, but it sees the band veering off in yet another direction without really achieving a lot.

Overall, an enjoyable listen. Those seeking something representative of Alan White himself will search in vain here, he is simply the name behind the project.

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