Description
Inside is the tenth studio album by the American rock band White Heart, released on Curb Records in 1995. The album was produced by Ken Scott.
Having long drooled over the delights of ‘Highlands‘ and ‘Tales Of Wonder‘, I approached this album which purportedly featured a retro Aerosmith sound with a little suspicion. But now it’s hardly off the CD player. Sure, it has distinct classic Aerosmith influences – grab vocalist Rik Florian’s high octane, Steve Tyler-style vocal screams while «Dominate» could almost have been a lost track from the ‘Get Your Wings’ album except the lyrics are a cry for God to dominate the heart and mind of the singer. But there’s much else here which is distinctively White Heart – for instance those lushed, layered BGVs which punch home the songs infectious hooks. What is new is the new bottom that new bassist John Thorn has brought to White Heart’s classic AOR sound and throughout John and drummer Jon Knox lay down cranium-cracking rhythms. Production by producer Ken Scott (whose CV includes work with the Beatles, David Bowie and Elton) is state-of-the-art the tracks having a dynamic resonance that only big studio budgets can produce while several songs are from the top drawer. The title track with screaming wah-influenced lead guitars and trippy multi-tracked vocals; a cool and subdued ballad «Speak Softly» (with vocal by keyboardist Mark Gersmehl); and «Ritual» a broody rocker with a Hammond B-3 sound and an anthemic chant of “dance, dance, dance” are all wonderful. Let’s hope mainstream music giant Curb get their investment back on the lads. Either way they’ve helped the Nashville rockers make a cracking Christian rock album. [Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms, April 1996]
When Whiteheart teamed with renowed produced Brown Bannister in 1989, the resulting album, ‘Freedom‘, was substantially different – and better – than anything the band had ever before released. That album is still considered the artistic pinnacle of this veteran rock band’s career.
With Whiteheart’s switch last year to Curb Records’ newly-formed contemporary Christian division came a new producer again. This time, the band chose to work with Ken Scott, who’s prior record includes David Bowie and Duran Duran, among others. And once again, the results are significantly different than anything the band has done before.
The record finds the band venturing into different territory altogether. Rich Florian’s vocals are different, more stretching, especially in the higher notes on the gentle ballad «It Could Have Been You». Unfortunately, many of the other changes seem to be in a backward, not a forward, direction. ‘Inside’ suffers from tempo problems for the beginning, moving awkwardly from straight-ahead rockers like «You Can’t Take» to downtempo songs like «Come One, Come All».
The press materials for the album say this is “…passionate music – fresh as any in the rock or alternative worlds.” Well, perhaps. The album has solid drumming of Jon Knox and the rich voice of Mark Gersmehl to add backing vocals. The production throughout is of good quality, and the lyrics are generally reflective of God’s love for humankind, His power to intervene in our lives, etc.
Yet the album sounds sadly dated. The guitar sounds, the vocal styling, the production – all are typical of rock music from the ’80s. While Whiteheart should be lauded for its willingness to undergo a major overhaul in its sound, it must be pointed out that they have adopted a sound that is largely dead in mainstream music. [Michael Ciani, CCM, October 1995]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/inside/73998403)
CD tracklist:
01. Inside – 4:27
02. You Can’t Take What You Don’t Have (You Don’t Have Me) – 4:56
03. It Could Have Been You – 3:55
04. Come One Come All – 4:43
05. Ritual – 5:52
06. Living Sacrifice – 4:54
07. Dominate – 4:04
08. Even The Hardest Heart – 4:27
09. Speak Softly – 5:05
10. Find A Way – 6:01
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Curb Records. A full-band rock version of the album track “Even the Hardest Heart” was only available as an extra bonus to the cassette single for the album track “Inside”.
A full-page advertisement for White Heart’s Inside was featured in the February 1996 issue of CCM Magazine.
“Even The Hardest Heart” (MUSIC VIDEO)
“Inside” (MUSIC VIDEO)
“Even The Hardest Heart,” released in 1995 on the album Inside, became a number 1 single. 25 years later, it was revealed that the version we all know, was not the original version – this was an “unplugged” version, which was finally put on the album. In 2020, the band digitally released the “full band” version of “Even The Hardest Heart.”
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