Doogie White - As Yet Untitled

by Kevin Wierzbicki

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While he may not exactly be a household name, Scottish singer Doogie White is a true journeyman in hard rock and metal circles. Currently holding down the vocal chores for Alcatrazz, White has also been behind the microphone with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Praying Mantis, Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock, La Paz and Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force. He's been so in demand, in fact, that he has only put out one solo album, As Yet Untitled, which was originally released a decade ago. Now fans will be pleased as punch that this previously hard to find album has been rereleased and enhanced with a second disc of cover songs that White has cut over the years.

Among the reissued As Yet Untitled cuts are the Dio-like "Lonely," the AC/DC-channeling "Time Machine" and the frenetic rocker "Come Taste the Band." White of course was very fond of Ronnie James Dio, and while his vocals can't quite match Ronnie's (whose can?) he can spin a tale the way Dio did, "Land of the Deceiver" being a good example here. If you know Jay Ferguson's "Shakedown Cruise" you will hear familiar riffing as "Catz Got Your Tongue" begins; "Sea of Emotions" is the album's reflective cut and it nods to the subdued side of Led Zeppelin. The bottom line here is that this is a very good album and fans of any part of White's career should have no hesitation in picking it up based on these songs alone. But there's more!

The bonus disc of cover tunes features a dozen songs, many of which are cuts that you would expect White to gravitate to, like Iron Maiden's "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" and a second Maiden cut, "The Clairvoyant." Boudleaux Bryant's oft-covered "Love Hurts" is here too, a little mellow for White but not too much of a surprise considering fellow Scots Nazareth had a big hit with the song. White is back to rocking with his take on UFO's "Too Hot to Handle" and a version of "This Flight Tonight," a Joni Mitchell cut that was also rocked up by Nazareth. Also included are White's interpretations of "Judgement Day," "Long Gone," "Emerald," the Rolling Stones hit "Let's Spend the Night Together," Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away," Sam Cooke's "Twistin' the Night Away" and a particularly nice take on Whitesnake's "Crying in the Rain."

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