RHETT FORRESTER “Even The Score” (1988)

by Dana Brittingham

Cover: 2 David Coverdale Lookalikes out of 10.

It’s a picture of Rhett, standing there in a fringey leather jacket. He really does look alot like David Coverdale in a mid-80s Whitesnake promo pic.

Booklet: 2 Robert Plant Wannabes out of 10.

Even for a low-budget indie production, this booklet is pretty lame. There’s a few black and white photos of Rhett hanging out with some other dude. No lyrics, just a few liner notes and track listing. Real basic.

Songs: 10 Paul Rogers Imitators out of 10.

This CD gets a 10 just for the song “Assume The Position,” one of the all-time most generic hard rock anthems of the 80’s. Take a look at these lyrics, they really sum it up: “Shut your mouth/Don’t say a word/You’re gonna get what you deserve!” Assume the position, baby. If you’re one of those collectors of rare 80s metal videos, then you’ve seen this one on the VHS compilation “Hard N Heavy Volume I.” It’s great, testoterone charged S&M cheese rock and really encapsulates what was expected if someone wanted to get themselves airplay on Z-Rock. The rest of the tunes are mostly forgettable, including a cover of Bad Company’s “Ready For Love.” But who cares when you’ve got yourself a swan song like “Assume The Position!”

Comments: Rhett Forrester got his start in the early 80’s as vocalist for NYC rockers RIOT. He sang on a few albums before he left to pursue alot of guest vocal spots and ill-fated attempts at launching new projects. “Even The Score” was his second solo album. The first is even more obscure than this one and can’t be found anywhere. Efforts to make the big-time never quite materialized for the poor bastard. We’ll never know how Rhett’s career would’ve fared, because one morning in early 1994, while waiting at a traffic light in Atlanta, some piece of shit gangbanger done shot him in the back and Rhett died.