Sadly,
Ultimate White Lion is neither ultimate nor
White Lion. In fact, there are no other members of
White Lion to be found on this disc; a notion further reinforced by the three photos of lead singer
Mike Tramp gracing the inside and outside of the CD sleeve and the names of European session musicians in the credits. To make matters worse, these are actually re-recordings of
White Lion's greatest moments and they are nowhere close to the brilliance of their original renditions. A painful seven-minute, slowed-down version of "Wait" is the most unforgivable offense; followed closely by the horrific butchering of "Little Fighter" and "When the Children Cry," which now finds itself backed by a children's choir. All of the hits and then some are re-recorded here, and that is fine for those who are looking for a budget-line recording of the hits. But die-hard fans should demand, and expect, more than what's offered here. Those looking for the original classics should avoid this and seek out Warner's 2002
Essentials collection or Rhino's 2003 Hits collection as suitable alternatives. ~ Rob Theakston