Well, if you’re reading this, then the name Mike Tramp and especially that of White Lion is obviously no surprise to you and is more than likely somewhere to be found in your record collection. As you can more than likely tell, with this being the third volume of Mike Tramp giving a new updated shine to the musical legacy of his much-loved and missed ‘80s/’90s hard rock band White Lion. While this is Mike’s voice in the right here, right now, the songs have a timeless feel to them.

As you can imagine, the ‘hits’ were re-recorded for the first two volumes. On this third entry, we have the deeper cuts, such as the opening ‘Dirty Woman’ from 1989’s Big Game. This new version is less polished than the original, but that doesn’t mean the impact is any less. As with most new recordings of older songs, sometimes it can highlight the limitations of the original. However, I can gladly say that these new versions add something to the original that can make the experience fresh.

‘Warsong’ from 1991’s swansong album ‘Mane Attraction’, is even more impactful than that of the original and with the state of the world as it is at the moment, has never been more relevant. ‘Fight To Survive’ is the first of four tracks from the band’s debut album of the same name. Now it is these tracks that retain my interest the most, as I got into the band via their major label debut ‘Pride’. So reliving these tracks is glorious. 

Another track from Mane Attraction is ‘She’s Got Everything’, which, along with many of the lyrics of the late ‘80s / early ‘90s has aged too great; that said, the song is a great reminder of what made White Lion great during their heyday

‘If My Mind Is Evil’ and ‘Don’t Say It’s Over’ both come from the ‘Big Game’ album and while being decent – I never loved the originals but these new recordings give me a reason to delve back in the the wondrous back catalogue and see if I was being too harsh to them the first time around.

As mentioned previously it is the ‘Fight to Survive’ tracks that hold the most interest for their ears, and with ‘In The City’, ‘Cherokee’ and ‘All Burn In Hell’, the new versions have breathed new life into these songs originally made some 40 years ago.

Mike has said that these re-recordings are not meant to replaced the originals but to compliment his journey and show where he is now and that this volume 3 is the emotional conclusion of a trilogy of music that connects the past to the present.

These have been recorded by Mike’s trusted band, which features Marcus Nand on guitar, Claus Langeskov on bass and Morten Hellborn on the drums. The majority of these songs were written by the main duo of the original group i.e. Mike Tramp and guitarist Vito Brtatta, with the exception of their cover of the Golden Earring classic – ‘Radar Love’.

As a fan of Mr Tramp – this will sit happily amongst my collection. There I deem this a winner in every sense of the word.

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Author: Dave Prince