Thursday, April 25, 1991
White Lion continues to
fourth album
grow on
Powerful lyrics highlight Mane Attraction
b Gre 1 Geibel
The Collegian
With their fourth release, Mane
Attraction, White Lion continues
to serve rock and roll fans with
their brand of politically and
socially conscious songs.
When putting on any White
Lion disc, one can expect to hear
songs dealing with either:
breaking up with someone,
loving someone beyond belief,
something dealing with war or
some other controversial issue, or
girls.
The themes to the songs on
Mane Attraction are very serious,
as they have been since the band's
debut album, Fight to Survive.
When listening to the lyrics on
any White Lion album, it is
apparent that a great deal of effort
and emotion goes into the
writing of the songs.
Mane Attraction contains some
noticeable differences from their
previous three albums. The
biggest and most prominent one
is that vocalist Mike Tramp quit
whining. Tramp's vocals have
become forceful and confident
since the group's Big Game
album.
Another important change is
that guitarist Vito Bratta has
broken away from his Eddie Van
Halen clone syndrome and started
to develop his own White Lion
style of playing.
White Lion's slow songs can
chill your bones and send your
heart right up to your throat.
Their faster, heavier tunes, on the
other hand, can. . . well. . .
sometimes do the same thing.
After their past few albums, I
have noticed that White Lion is
somewhat similar to Phil Collins
(please let me finish) in the fact
that everytime something bad or
depressing happens in your life,
they write a song and tell you
everything that you just went
through.
Mane Attraction starts off with
a White Lion standard "there is a
good place where we can all go
and be happy" type of song called
"Lights and Thunder."
"You can live in harmony /
With those who were your enemy
/ You can do just what you want
to / No one here will every hurt
you / There'll be lights and
thunder."
Following "Lights and
Thunder" is a song called "Broken
Heart." It follows in the White
Lion school of songwriting and
deals with being dumped by
someone who was thought to be
the one and only, yet stresses that
important fact that things only
get better.
"Why she left me / I don't
know / It really doesn't matter
anymore / I thought that love
could last forever / But here I
stand last and all alone / I'll pick
up the pieces / And start all over
again / I know that life will be
much better / I know that the sun
will shine again."
"Leave Me Alone" is a balls
out tune from start to finish that
deals with individuality and the
fact that everyone is able to do
what they want, when they want.
"I don't care if you don't like
the way I walk / You don't stop
and listen when I talk / I can see
that you don't want to understand
/ Playing in a rock 'n' roll band /
You object, you expect / But you
don't give me no respect / Leave
me alone."
0.K., so far we've got the
break up song and a positive
outlook song. Like every other
White Lion album, there has to
be at least one gut-wrenching,
bone chilling slow song.
"You're All I Need" fills that
slot.
"You're All I Need" is one of
those songs that say everything
that you have ever wanted to say,
but could never put into words.
"You're all I want inside my
heart / You're all I need when
we're apart / Say, say that you'll
be there / Whenever I reach out /
To feel your hand in mine / Stay
within my heart / Whenever I'm
alone / I'll know that you are
there."
Like Big Game's "Cry For
Freedom," Mane Attraction
contains a song about, or rather,
The Collegian
against war
"Warsong" tells of a young
boy having to go to war, not
knowing the exact purpose, and
thinking of his Grandfather dying
in Normandy and his brother still
in Vietman.
"What are we fighting for /
When the price we pay is endless
war / What are we fighting for /
When all we need is peace / What
are we fighting for / Can't we
learn from what we've done
before / What are we lighting for
/ When no one ever wins, in
war."
Following "Warsong" is the
traditional "girl" song that I
guess has to be present on every
rock-and-roll album to prove that
they are true rock-and-rollers.
"She's Got Everything" is
basically a shame compared to
the rest of the album. This song
is proof that amidst an album of
great songs, there can be one that
supports the belief that rock
bands are "floating in a sea of
retarded sexuality."
Unlike their previous albums,
White Lion provides an
instrumental track. "Blue
Monday" was written in
memoriam of the late Stevie Ray
Vaughan.
"Blue Monday" showcases Vito
Bratta's blues guitar playing
abilities, as well as the backing
talents of bassist James Lomenzo
and drummer Greg D'Angelo.
Mane Attraction ends strongly
and positively with another one
of White Lion's trademark style
of songs, "Farewell To You."
"Farewell To You" tells of
saying goodbye to a dear friend,
yet knowing that the friendship
will remain strong inside.
"It was easier to say hello /
Than to say goodbye / Now the
bus is leaving once again / I bid
farewell to you / The scene will
change and time will show / But
still I hope that I'll be there for
you / Be there for me."
The Collegian
Just read it
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Steven Seagal
gets his kicks
New flick actually has a
plot - sort of
Jon Flick
The Collegian
Out For Justice, Steven
Seagal's latest flick, is
strangely different from any
of his previous films. It
possesses a complex plot,
with several twists. It is a
good movie, though it is
difficult to follow at times.
The setting is an Italian
section of Brooklyn, where
the Mob is a primary force.
A man named Bobby is
known to have fooled around
with a Mob king's girlfriend.
In return, he sends his crack
smoking hit man Ritchie to
do a job on Bobby. Ritchie
steps out of his Camaro in
The plot begins to get confusing, because
it's hard to keep track of who's related to
whom.
front of a grocery store and
blows Bobby away. Later he
parks in front of a woman
trying to drive through a
parking lot, and after she
cusses at him, he blows her
away for good measure.
Seagal plays a cop named
Gino, who sees his mission
as hunting and killing
Ritchie. Despite the nagging
of his girlfriend, Gino decides
to go after the hit man
himself.
The methods Gino uses to
gain information on Ritchie's
whereabouts are brutal, to say
the least. It seemed like
Gino wasn't really a cop, but
a lone marauder. The
Page
occasional tender moments
with his wife temper this
image somewhat, however.
The plot begins to get
confusing, because it's hard
to keep track of who is
related to whom. It seems
Gino and Ritchie grew up
together, and Bobby was a
good friend of Gino's.
If the viewer can't see the
relationship between Bobby
and Gino, it becomes difficult
to reason why he would go to
the trouble to find this hit
man. This sometimes
happens when action films
attempt a more complex plot
than "kill as many as you
can, save the girl, and live
happily ever after."
Though Seagal's character
has a harsher personality than
his previous characters
(especially in Hard To Kill
and Marked For Death), he
seems less violent in Out For
Justice. Seeing that his
previous films bordered on
being purely gory, that
doesn't say much. Be
prepared for a lot of gun
action.
Compared to other action
films, Out for Justice is
merely okay. Against other
Seagal films, it isn't his best,
but I won't be too hard on it,
since he has three excellent
films under his belt.