After singer Doogie White left La Paz in 1988, stints alongside guitar gods Blackmore, Malmsteen and Schenker saw his profile rise to heights the Motherwell hopefuls could only have imagined.
But as that band’s original line-up reunites once more – for this follow-up to 2012’s Granite – it’s time the spotlight fell on their own axe hero, Chic McSherry. His best riffs and hooks evoke vintage Deep Purple (the Highway Star-meets-Burn opener Little Black Book Of Songs), Whitesnake (Old Habits Die Hard) and – best of all – Rainbow (the Stargazer-style cracker Devil In Disguise). Then on Lonely Are The Brave, a piano-led tale of heartbreak, he delivers an early contender for guitar solo of the year.
La Paz’s second coming is too late to change the world, but with all the above, White’s constantly superior vocals, plus guest slots for a brass section and the Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band, it can certainly brighten it up.
