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Artist: Mr. Big |
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Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and Pat Torpey. Recognize the names anyone? Well, if so, the good news is they are back!! After 14 years away from the studio, the original members of Mr. Big have put aside any animosities that may have caused some bad blood and come up with an album that will make you realise just how good this band was and still is. The title 'What If' is quite apt because it is a case of 'What If', if they'd be able to continue going after they broke into the big time all those years ago? You could say they have continued where they left off, as on the first track 'Undertow', it sounds as if they've never been apart for more than 5 minutes, the band are so in sync with each other, Martin's ageless voice as good as ever. There's a nostalgic memory jerk towards Van Halen's 'Hot For Teacher' on 'American Beauty', due to the similar furious tempo and flashy guitar hooks, though the double entendres are definitely not part of Mr. Big's makeup, so we're at least spared the blushes! You couldn't get a more somber song to lower the mood on an album than 'Stranger In My Life', it's sad, cold hearted theme that cannot even be lifted by Gilbert's soaring guitar solo. God knows what thoughts the band were having, but 'Nobody Left To Blame' doesn't help much either. The sense of desolation surrounding the song is a wee bit off putting, so thankfully 'Still Ain't enough For Me' lifts the album out of the doldrums, the racy song has each instrumentalist playing off one another in a 3 way joust to see who can be top dog. You can imagine Martin sitting back and watching each one trying to do better than the others, all in good fun though, and it comes over well on this track. The gritty 'Once Upon A Time' shows you why this bunch were once held in such high esteem amongst their peers, the pure rock extravaganza is second to none and should be a lesson to those who want to follow in their footsteps. Gilbert's guitar work just begs you to pick up a guitar and shred it any way you can, regardless if you can play or not! For his part, Torpey's staggered drumming throughout 'As Far As I Can See' just has to be heard, as he outplays anyone or any drum machine out there by a mile. Knowing this band, the radio-friendly song had to be somewhere and the melodic, heart-warmer 'All The way Up' gets the thumbs up straight away. Light, strummed guitars, muted bass hooks and that smiley, happy vocal treatment from Martin. what more could they give you? Nice one. Don't be fooled though, because it's back to the nitty-gritty with 'I Won't Get In My Way', a real ballsy tune that puts them right back on track as a true rock outfit, and on 'Around The world' it's a case of "icing on the cake". Its staggering guitar and bass solos music to the ears (no pun intended), harmonies galore, the lot. It's here where you could safely put them on par with Van Halen when they were at the top of their game (e.g.. up to 1984). 'I Get The Feeling' follows the same vein of richness, a sure hit for the fans who are lucky enough to see them when they do their world tour this year. If you buy the vinyl edition of 'What If' you won't get the bonus track 'Unforgiven' that appears on the CD format, and you will be disappointed as its another top quality rocker. Well, really its just a showcase for Gilbert's six-string expertise, but what the hell! Whichever you choose, you can guarantee this will be one of the best albums you'll buy this year, and seeing that it's only January, it's going to be hard to follow. In fact, there's probably a few bands and their management out there who've heard it and said ... "Oh Crap", what do WE do now?". Review
by: Bob Baldwin |
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| Tracklisting:
1. Undertow |
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