Style: hard rock, blues rock, pop rock
Label: Atlantic
Year: 1991
Home: Denmark & New York
Members: Mike Tramp ~ vocals/rhythm guitar
Vito Bratta ~ lead guitar/b. vocals
James LoMenzo ~ bass/b. vocals
Greg D'Angelo ~ drums
There's a lot of '80's axe slingers who could whip out riffs & notes & musical flames like their life depended on it. Lot, as in, every band had at least one player who straddled artistic genius & showing off ego & crazy clown & soulless clone. Many could play amazingly well, but they sounded indistinct & like they were just putting together all they had heard on the radio & not giving it their own spirit. Dump those if you want to find the best of the '80's axe slinging as a musical art form containing wondrous self-expression. It may require dumbing some of those who are flashy who have a few hits, but don't let flash be a substitute for substance. Who remains should be those who can play anything, like an Al Pitrelli, who spent half his career as a session player, or Andy Timmons of Danger Danger, who has done everything from hard rock to instrumental Beatles. Or, they can create memorable or interesting riffs, like an Angus Young, or landscapes like Joe Satriani. Or, at least have a distinct style, like Slash & Steve Vai who are immediately recognizable. What you'll find in this collection of players is those who don't just play the guitar, but those who make it sing with feeling. They do more than run lines that attempt to go into orbit, but actually have feeling & substance. Its like their guitars have a personality of their own. This is not a short list, even if you're focused on only those that made their name in the '80's, which removes folks like Tony Iommi or Jimmy Page or Brian May who came to fame earlier. Its a great range of players from slow to fast, flashy to hard to handle. White Lion's axe slinger Vito Bratta will, undoubtedly, be found on this list. He may not be as iconic as many of his peers, due to both the commercial placement of White Lion's hits & his retirement from playing music when others were staging reunion tours & getting their name back in the game, but those who know his playing pretty much all hold him high. White Lion should be in your list of bands to hear if you want the best of the best of the '80's guitar cock rock. Somehow Vito crafted riffs that sounded different, while the songs were full of unexpected dynamics, quirks & moods. White Lion's fourth album, Mane Attraction, may not have gone Gold or Platinum like the earlier Pride & Big Game, but it is a pretty good introduction to the group & Bratta's finger work. It features a re-recording of their debut single "Broken Heart", & their only instrumental blues, "Blue Monday", in tribute to the then recently deceased Stevie Ray Vaughan. This is an album that shows them trying new things & exploring new avenues. The result is a delight. This is a band confident in their abilities, & ready to take their music to a new level. Don't let the lack of commercial success on this one scare you away. This may not have the hits, but it has all the right moves with great compositions to go with them. While behind Bratta is just a magic line-up. Mike Tramp doesn't scream like his peers, but sings with great emotion, often sounding like he's pleading for his heart/message/feelings/etc. to be heard by some mysterious listener. His raspy voice gives the music a different flavor than the band's peers. Big '80's hair metal songs like "She's Got Everything" become sly & seductive, whereas his screaming banshee peers would likely turn these into cliched cock rock songs. His voice has more in common with the grunge & alt-rock movement than the '80's, which was perfect as he refashioned himself into an alt-rocker for a post-White Lion career. While bassist James LoMenzo & drummer Greg D'Angelo provide a powerhouse foundation that anchors Bratta's flights, but also creates dynamics of its own for more than just a rolling background. They don't necessarily sound like Led Zeppelin, but I feel they do have that style of playing where the instruments are interacting & pushing each other, versus brainless rhythm behind a singer & guitarist that is favored by too many bands. LoMenzo turns in a growling low end that has more in common with early Black Sabbath than the in your face pop of many of his Sheehan inspired peers. His role on this album cannot be under-stated. One need only hears how his role on "Broken Heart" gives it an added nudge. Mane Attraction was earlier in his career, but LoMenzo's fame would steadily increase due to gigs with Megadeth, Ace Frehley, David Lee Roth, Tim "Ripper" Owens, Lynch Mob, Slash's Snakepit, & many more on stage & in the studio. Drummer D'Angelo provides a strong foundation for the group that pushes & pulls, having come out of the dynamic Anthrax when he joined White Lion. He would later join Stephen Pearcy's solo group & do fantasy camps. D'Angelo & LoMenzo would move from White Lion to joining Zakk Wylde as Lynyrd Skynhead, which became Pride & Glory. That band put Wylde on the national radar. White Lion is a band of powerful players & here they shine. "Lights & Thunder" opens the album with a powerful hair metal song, but either its tuned down or the melody is just awesome, as it has the moodiness heard with things like Coverdale-Page over White Lion's peers. Its a powerful opener with a breakdown that sounds, perhaps just coincidentally, like something Anthrax might have done. If you like that, then you'll probably like what follows, even though the album goes for a range of music. At times it'll be bluesy ("Farewell To You", "Blue Monday", "Its Over"), other times hard hitting ("Warsong", "She's Got Everything"), there's stuff more pop power ballad like you'd expect from Bad English or the less cocky side of Danger Danger (i.e. "Out With The Boys", "Broken Heart", "You're All I Need", "Love Don't Come Easy", "Till Death Do Us Part"), & even some funk ("Leave Me Alone"). You will always be surprised, & hopefully not disappointed. I certainly wasn't, & found the diversity one of the best things about this album. It all worked well together, likely due to the sad nature of most of the lyrics. My interest was always there. It was a band exploring, but hitting home run after home run. So often I talk about bands sounding like other bands, or like you've heard these songs before, but I couldn't say that album this album, which is a strong compliment. Sadly, whatever is developed on Mane Attraction would not be allowed to developed more. White Lion broke up while promoting the album. For me, they went out on a high, crafting a near perfect '80's rock album that feels almost timeless.
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