Black Tiger

Black Tiger is a work symbolizing early fullness, on which Y&T brought together blues-inflected thick riffs, powerful vocals and a tenacious rhythm. Valuing the feel of the whole band sounding at once over flashy ornament, the songs carry a near-live drive. It pushes the style established on Earthshaker further, more powerfully and dramatically. From the momentum of “Open Fire” and the weight of the title track “Black Tiger” to the hard-edged rock feel of “Hell or High Water” and “My Way or the Highway,” the album conveys the appeal of hard-nosed hard rock directly. In particular, the grand ballad “Forever” is a signature song, long loved, that gives Meniketti’s vocal appeal its fullest showing. Placing the three cores of riff, vocal and beat each where they shine most, without layering needless ornament, it is one of Y&T’s finest records, winning through the body heat of the playing.