I was afraid of this. I really liked the first song released a few months ago off the new White Reaper album, except for one little part. I’ll explain later, but here’s “Pages” from White Reaper’s Asking for a Ride.
They grabbed me with the acoustic guitar right from the start, and their transition from acoustic to rocking hard is seamless and organic. But for me, there is a little problem with the song and a big one with the album.
As for the song, at the 30 second mark, White Reaper lead vocalist Tony Esposito sings “I wrote it in my diary and all my word is true.” When he sings “diary and” it sounds too much like diarrhea to me. Small quibble. I really like the song.
But the album? Not sure how long this may stay up on YouTube, but for now the whole album is HERE. It rocks pretty hard. I don’t have a problem with that, and the songs are fine. I think my disappointment comes from wanting more songs like “Pages” on the album. The more I think and write about it, the more I realize my complaint is not very realistic. I have a problem with a perfectly good album, because I want more songs like the most listenable song on the album. Yeah, that’s a reasonable complaint … from a lunatic.
Perhaps a better way to frame it is that I really like the song, but the album falls a bit short of my expectations. I think I know why I like “Pages” so much. I’ve heard it before … around 1975ish. I hear echoes of an amalgam of Cheap Trick, Thin Lizzy, Blue Oyster Cult, and early REO Speedwagon updated with a dash of more recent Weezer.
White Reaper just played a special free 45 minute concert in Chicago recently courtesy of radio station WXRT (93XRT.com). I had planned to score tickets, but I screwed up and didn’t turn the radio on in time to get the special code to get the tickets. Sigh! I was bummed, but it just so happened that we had a bit of a family emergency on the day of the concert. The family emergency was bad enough, so I was glad that I didn’t have to waste concert tickets, too. Isn’t that odd how one’s mind can twist events and circumstance to find a silver lining on an otherwise dark day?
Back to music, the Kentucky boys from White Reaper may indeed be trying to evoke a 70’s rock sound, and they do it well with “Pages.” They are getting some deserved attention these days and reaping the rewards from the rock they sow.
Jim Flanigan Looks at the World 