Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 11: Inside
- 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
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 11: Inside
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 12: Redemption
We are in the home stretch now. During their run, Whiteheart released 11 full length albums, which means we have two more albums to cover in this series. In the penultimate installment of this series, my plan is to take a look at some of the music that was not included on any of their albums. Then, we’ll wrap things up with some big picture thoughts about the band, their music, and their legacy.
Again, I want to thank all of you who are reading. If you are enjoying this series, leave a comment here or on one of our social media platforms. And, if you are feeling particularly generous, please consider sharing the series with your social media friends. Our readers are truly the only advertisement we have.
I have a complicated relationship with Inside. Whiteheart was in the middle of the best run of albums in their career, starting with Freedom in 1989. If they weren’t the biggest band in the Christian Rock world, they were a close second. They were known for captivating melodies, outstanding musicianship, and powerfully poetic lyrics. After their successful 1993 album, Highlands, the band signed with Curb Records, promising a foot in the door on a mainstream label. To say expectations were high would be a massive understatement.
Inside saw one lineup change, with Anthony Sallee departing and new bassist, John Thorn joining the band. Curb Records brought in veteran producer and engineer Ken Scott to shepherd the new album. Scott is famous for working on multiple albums with The Beatles, Elton John, and David Bowie. In a now somewhat infamous peak behind the curtain, Scott, being completely unfamiliar with the music of Whiteheart, only listened to their most recent album one time to get a feel for what the band brought to the table.
For me, the results are a mixed bag. There’s good and bad so let’s get the bad out of the way first. Yes, it was 1995 and music had moved to a darker and edgier place thanks to the grunge movement. Every rock band that released an album between 1993 and 1998 had to adjust. Seemingly overnight, soaring melodies, exquisite compositions, and beautiful instrumentation were discarded in favor of distortion drenched guitars, angst-filled tunes, and vocals that left something to be desired.
None of those things fit Whiteheart at all. Even so, with Ken Scott at the helm, they offered to the world something of a truce. No, they weren’t going to completely buy into this new aesthetic simply for the sake of the bottom line. It would not have been a true reflection of their style and sensibilities. But they weren’t going to reject it whole cloth, realizing that evolution is necessary and sometimes even good in the music world, something Whiteheart had demonstrated repeatedly in their career.
Unfortunately, the truce they came up with was only partially successful. When it works, like on the title track, it’s really, really works. When it doesn’t, like on “Come One, Come All”, it feels like a missed opportunity.
The other weakness of the album is the ballads. This might land me in hot water with other Whiteheart fans, but I have to true to what I believe. I really like the ballads on this album. “It Could Have Been You”, “Speak Softly”, and “Even the Hardest Heart” are really good songs. But outside of “Even the Hardest Heart” they don’t feel like Whiteheart. Whiteheart’s ballads, from Hotline forward, were always more complex, more robust, and more dynamic than these three songs. They were full band efforts, showcasing their musical talent and vocal abilities. And while these three songs are lovely, to me they have always felt like a step back for the band, both musically and stylistically.
Now to the good stuff. As previously mentioned, the title track, “Inside” is a perfect amalgam of darker, moodier tones while still retaining the energy and musicianship Whiteheart was always known for. It was a successful song for them, but it deserved to be much bigger than it ended up being. Following that is “You Can’t Take What You Don’t Have” which blends Southern vibes with a surging, tension-building intensity. While some might accuse the song of leaning too far into culture wars, I see it more as a progression, starting from the early church until the present day, of Christians standing on the truth of God’s Word. Plus, the scream at the end is EPIC.
Other big rockers include the percussion heavy “Ritual”, and “Living Sacrifice”, a scorcher of a song with a melt-your-face-off drum beat and Rick showing off every bit of range. One song that has grown on me considerably since the release of this album is “Dominate”. Back in 1995, it was easily my least favorite track on the album. It’s quirky and weird but the song has a particularly special charm that really works for me now. It’s a change of pace in an album that is already a huge change of pace for the band. Just one more example of the incredible range of Whiteheart.
The final track on the album is one of the best songs Whiteheart ever made. It also feels like one of the most underrated songs in their catalogue. “Find a Way” is everything this stylistic shift was meant to be. It captures the mood of the music world in the middle of the decade. It incorporates the bleaker tones and the rawer qualities that people seemed to be looking for. But it does it in a way that is 100% Whiteheart. Yes, the song is anything but peppy and celebratory, but it is beautiful. It’s a masterfully arranged and constructed song with gorgeous piano work, a driving guitar tone, and vintage Whiteheart vocals and harmonies.
While I believe Inside was a step down for the band after their previous 4 albums, it holds up well and still sounds amazing nearly 30 years later. Unfortunately, it didn’t succeed in the way the record company or the band had hoped. This would prove to be a huge pivot point for Whiteheart. Next time, we will look at Whiteheart’s final album, Redemption. Thanks for reading.
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 12: Redemption - August 28, 2024
- Whiteheart Retrospective – Part 11: Inside - August 21, 2024
- The Happy Little Sapling - August 16, 2024
