Great White's new album "Elation" will be one of those albums that is in the top 10 of 2012 that will be greatly discussed, debated and critiqued...in my opinion.

I have had the honor to review and listen to this album for a couple days now...and I had my mixed feelings on this going into listening to this album. Like it has been talked about for months now regarding Jack Russell versus Great White (now feat. Terry Illous) has sparked a lot of controversy and discussion pertaining to legitimacy of who is Great White and who is not.

Well, I went into listening this album from two directions; one from being a Great White fan and the other from the standpoint of being a fan of Terry Illous. Personally, I have always liked Illous' music, voice and projects over the decades whether it was XYZ, FYCO, solo or anything else...he is one of my top 10 best vocalists (IMO). On the other hand, we have Great White... their music and albums have stood the test of time and they have a signature sound and voice (Jack Russell). Though we are presented here with an obvious lead vocalists change here for "Elation". Now there will be people on here and elsewhere (and maybe even Andrew) that will like or hate this album because of the Russell vs. GW war going on.

Though, I put that out of my mind and went into this objectively from two points of view; Great White and Terry Illous.

From a Great White perspective, this album was not great at all. Great White has always had a signature style, vibe, and sound (minus the vocals) that we all could easily recognize and identify. That is not here at all. This appears to be Great White trying not to be Great White, though mocking a Great White style/influence cover band. It doesn't sound anything like GW at all. The only song that barely resembles classic GW (and this is pushing it) was the song "Just For Tonight", and this sounds like a leftover demo from a decade or two ago that was meshed together in some fashion. Disappointing overall as a Great White album/release and effort. I would rate this on a 71/100.

Now, from the Terry Illous perspective....what a great release. I enjoyed this on the second round listening to this as a Terry Illous solo project/release. I truly enjoyed it a lot in this way. The style of his voice and the selection of bluesy, bar-rock, soulful vibe really has a solid match for this release. The only odd ball track was the bonus track "Lowdown", did not fit the release, in fact it reminds me of a leftover idea from the Illous/Northrup sessions a few years back (which could have been - don't know). This could easily be identified as a Terry Illous solo album featuring guest musicians from the band formerly known as Great White.
Overall, I am looking forward to listening to the album again psyching myself into thinking this is a good Terry Illous solo effort. I rate it from this point of view on a 83/100.

My advise to all; trying listening from a Terry Illous fan (if you are one) rather than a GW fan and you might actually enjoy it for what it is.

Cheers!