Michael White & the White

First of all, this isn’t regular Exclaim! contributor, Michael White. This is the guy you can blame for every half-assed band of middle-aged guys who bang out "Black Dog” at your neighbourhood bar every weekend. The White was the first (and still the best) Led Zeppelin tribute band, a result of White being cursed with both Robert Plant’s hair and voice, which prevented him from missing out on the spoils of the L.A. metal scene in the early ’80s (he was Nikki Sixx’s first choice as singer for Mötley Crüe) before relocating to Toronto. However, despite paying the bills by playing Plant on stage for the past 20 years, White has never given up on trying to do his own thing, and his recent rediscovery by Toronto classic rock station Q107 has led to the reissue of this 1986 solo debut. Surprisingly, it’s not as much of a period piece as one might imagine. Obviously, there’s a strong Zep influence (nothing wrong with that) in the big production of "Psychometry” and the funk metal of "Matriarch,” but in general White asserts himself as a strong hard rock songwriter who undoubtedly deserved a better shot at the time. Maybe his time has now come; I’m sure the Tea Party could use his services.