Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 10: Highlands
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 1: Introduction
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 2: The Self-Titled Debut
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 3: Vital Signs
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 4: Hotline
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 5: Don’t Wait for the Movie
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 6: Emergency Broadcast
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 7: Freedom
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 8: Powerhouse
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 9: Tales of Wonder
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 10: Highlands
For a long time, Highlands was my second favorite Whiteheart album, behind Freedom. It has since been surpassed by Tales of Wonder, but not because I love it any less than I used to. My love for Tales has simply grown. My older brother and I debated this a lot in the past. Well, Mike, you were right. I will publicly acknowledge that now.
Maybe that is a weird way to start an article spotlighting Highlands. I think it speaks to how our love for music evolves as we age. From 1993, when Highlands released, until sometime in the mid 00’s, I connected with the musical direction of Highlands on an almost chemical level. At the apex of my love for the album, it nearly dethroned Freedom as my favorite Whiteheart album.
I say all of this to make a simple point: I love this album. In an era when rock music was growing dark, raw, and kind of ugly, Whiteheart opted to stick to their guns and make hopeful, refined, and beautiful music. I will forever be grateful they did.
In an effort to not overstay my welcome, as some of these installments have grown much bigger than I ever intended, I am going to limit myself to broad stroke summaries from here on out. Whiteheart wasted no time in writing and recording a new album. Tales of Wonder released in 1992. Highlands followed on its heels in 1993. The same six members – Billy Smiley, Mark Gersmehl, Rick Florian, Brian Wooten, Anthony Sallee, and Jon Knox – toured the previous album and went into the studio and delivered another classic.
Where Tales of Wonder is a bit more introspective and gentle, Highlands is explosive and full throttle. Produced by Smiley and Gersh, Highlands eschews subtlety and instead, it approaches each song as a new way to capture sonic wonder and magic. It’s a big album painted in bold primary colors, full of stylistic influences ranging from prog to arena rock. I don’t mean this to impugn their motives, but the album is so loaded with sound and top-notch playing, it almost feels like Whiteheart decided to show off a little bit.
Virtually everything on this album is BIG. Every song is built and structured in layers. Guitars soaking every inch. Bass lines for days. Drums that will shake your bones. Keyboards and synths that mesmerize and fill in every gap. And vocals operating as just one more instrument to bring this vision of transcendence to life. For this album, Whiteheart continued their iconic three-part harmonies as well as their use of two lead vocalists, often taking turns during songs. It was a hallmark of their sound, and it set them apart from every other CCM band.
Highlands opens with a run of songs that would compete with the best in Whiteheart’s discography. “You Can See the World”, serves as an energetic announcement for the album. It’s followed by “Nothing But the Best”, a muscular, strutting call to excellence. Back-to-back ballads are next. First up, “Heaven of My Heart”, and honestly, this one could go either way. It’s part ballad, part power ballad, and part rock song. It serves as another glimpse into the “Kingdom now, Kingdom still to come” motif they had been building for years. Here is what I said about it in our Top 40 Whiteheart Songs article:
“Heaven of My Heart” is heart-on-the-sleeve earnest. It’s also an intricate and impressive musical production. Every note, every instrument, every beat is precisely and perfectly selected. They reached for the heavens when they created this song. Personally, I think they succeeded.
Whiteheart Top 40 Songs
Following that high is “Once and For All”, one of the most intricately beautiful songs Whiteheart ever produced. Joining the band in the final section of the song are the ladies from Rachel Rachel, and their voices add a wonderful touch to the song. “Once and For All” joined “Heaven of My Heart” and the album closer, “The Flame Passes On” as the three number one hits from the album.
To me, there is no weak track on the album, though a few don’t reach the highs of the best songs. “Excuse Me, Forgive Me” is a solid rocker with a pounding beat and the guitar front and center. “Change the Way” was the first song Whiteheart recorded for the album, to set the template for the sound they wanted. The use of dynamics in this song is something special. The title track, “Highlands of Love” is drenched in atmosphere and mood. It’s a left turn for the band but it’s a wonderful layer to the album.
That’s a solid run of songs, but the final three are simply peak Whiteheart and end the album on an incredibly strong note. “The Cry” is a tour-de-force, with its Enya/Clannad inspired intro all the way through the surging, resplendent climax. It also includes some of my favorite Jon Knox drumming ever. “Let My People Go” is a battle cry of sorts, with more reserved verses followed by an explosive chorus. The closer of the album, “The Flame Passes On” featured Gersh as the lead vocalist and it’s one of his best performances. I love the guitar work throughout the album, but the final song is a masterpiece of playing.
Highlands was the final album with Star Song Records and to this day, the band feels it was overlooked by their record company. In contrast to Tales of Wonder where Star Song promoted 10 singles, Highlands only had a few songs promoted. As I mentioned earlier, it was still successful with a few number one hits, but this album was clearly left to fend for itself by the record company as the band had already announced they were signing with Curb records.
In spite of the behind-the-scenes issues with the record company, Highlands was another triumph for Whiteheart. Musically, they were firing on all cylinders. Smiley and Gersh were cranking out one great song after another. But a huge transition loomed ahead. They were moving to Curb Records and things were going to change. Come back next time to see if those changes proved to be positive or not. Thanks so much for reading!
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 10: Highlands - August 7, 2024
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 9: Tales of Wonder - July 31, 2024
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 8: Powerhouse - July 24, 2024
Thank you for the public acknowledgment.