WHITE WIDDOW – Crossfire
- Posted on 14-12-2014
Australia’s melodic rock /AOR masters White Widdow are back again for their third album "Crossfire" – and again giving the new generation a reason to believe that the best work in this genre can still be current while taking cues from the past. A logical continuation from "Serenade", the material has this shimmering production, crystal clear tones and multi-part vocal harmonies that would make fans of Def Leppard, The Little River Band, and even the much missed Sheriff grin ear to ear.
Be it a ballad like "Carry the Heartache", the crunchier anthem "Caught in the Crossfire", or mid-tempo vocal highlight "Born to Be a Rebel", the five-piece just know how to navigate the music/melody quotient seamlessly so that the focus remains on pure hooks and individual songs that improve retention and desire to play this incessantly. Jules Millis as a vocalist is smooth as silk, natural in all facets of his singing and reaching for the emotional money notes when he has to. Guitarist Enzo Almanzi throws down fiery breaks when necessary, but for the most part keeps his play in line with keyboardist Xavier Millis, as they adequately give and take on the commercial "Fly Me Away" or "Dreams Don’t Die" (think "Raised on Radio" era Journey meets Bad English for this one).
In the end, the best melodic rock/ AOR acts need songs that can transcend space and time – and "Crossfire" has a boatload of them. Solid performances, more than adequate production, White Widdow is another band like Houston that prove the genre did not die in the 1980’s. I know there are a lot of you who still love Survivor, Foreigner, Night Ranger, Journey, and their offspring – add this band to your list and let loose.