Snowy White
Lucky Star
(Esoteric/Cherry Red)
8/10
By Decibel Report - Apr 23, 2020

With his lucent guitar tone and laid back almost spoken vocals, Snowy White became a surprise star artist when his hit single Bird Of Paradise flew high in the charts. Prominent Breakfast TV and TOTP exposure could not hide the true nature of the artist behind a mask of shyness who went on to release accomplished solo albums; having already lent his craftsman hands to bands and artists as a star sideman, as he continues to do.

Captured across six in-depth CDs is White’s entire solo output between 1983 - 1994, plus eighteen enticing extra tracks collected together for the first time.

His debut solo album White Flame set the scene for the bluesy, unhurried musical approach White developed as a core signature sound on his subsequent releases. Incongruous bass poppin' lines and commercial keyboards on his eponymous follow-up aside, White’s second solo release is in part a victim to a much larger studio production as evidenced on Land of Freedom and Long Summer Days. Nevertheless, recorded at a time of 80s bombastic production values, White’s golden guitar tone seemingly plays at times like a fearless acrobat with no net beneath to catch him.

Further explorations into marketable fusion stylings are redeemed by White masterfully stretching his fingers out with stunning flourishes into these foreign musical pastures.  

And it’s on these slightly over-produced, stylistically packaged songs where you can feel White’s guitar bursting through from the corner into which record company commercial demands tried to paint him. Which artistically is what White adeptly overcomes on That Certain Thing and especially on his Highway To The Sun solo releases.

White’s own lucky star shone white-hot in an era when solo guitar artists competed prominently in the charts. And in a touching tribute, Snowy acknowledged his fellow peer group blues shapeshifters by involving guitar gods Chris Rea and Gary Moore to contribute their inimitable talents to tracks on 1994s Highway To The Sun. Yet it’s a tantalising match up with David Gilmour on Love, Pain & Sorrow which continues to catch the ear with their not too dissimilar tonal qualities and joined up back history on this his most accomplished solo album to date.

Included in this expertly remastered collection of White's output is a couple of simply superb Snowy White's Blues Agency blues albums. With a band name sounding like an institution for the broken-hearted, White expertly delivers the goods by playing the blues with a deft, heartful passion and sublime guitar technique.

If you’re of the persuasion that a few judiciously placed guitar notes overflowing with honey-toned technique played over a smooth, transcendent blues-infused riff speaks volumes and gets you into the right headspace, then Snowy White is your man.