Mr. Big
Bump Ahead

Bump ahead is the right transition from the energetic youth of "Lean into it" and the stylistic completeness of "Hey Man." These four guys who at the time made up the phenomenon Mr. Big crafted a very good album, not a masterpiece like the next one, nor full of the freshness of the previous one, but which combines both, giving a feeling of suspension and pleasant inconclusiveness.

Of course, played impeccably, especially by the two virtuosos Sheehan and Gilbert, and hearing them play and challenge each other is truly an infinite pleasure. It starts with the pure rock of "Colorado Bulldog" and "Price You Gotta Pay." Great introduction. The first track is better, the second rather average, which bored me a bit more. "Colorado Bulldog" is a classic and deserves a review of its own... it is a small instrumental and vocal masterpiece, it's rhythmic, energetic, and unpredictable. Naturally, after two exhilarating tracks, Mr. Big, as we've been accustomed to, place the big ballad: "Promise Her The Moon" is their traditional syrupy ballad with an almost adolescent text, but it incredibly strikes also for Eric Martin's excellent performance in an impressive form.
The rock resumes with "What is Gonna Be", decent, nothing more. And now comes the too sweet "Wild World". It doesn't measure up to other ballads, too sweet, boring, and almost annoying; anyway, those who appreciate the romantic side of ours will like this bland song. We return to more captivating shores with "Mr. Gone", which is still the usual rock song, and continue with another gem of the album, namely "The Whole World's Gonna Know". Classic, simply a chart-topping rock track, but it strikes, it's direct, it's simple and catchy, and Mr. Big were masters at creating these pearls.

Sure, they play too much with the rule of "chart rock", perhaps exaggerating with "Nothing But Love" recovering and gaining more credibility with the excellent "Temperamental". To close, we have yet another ballad, now entirely acoustic and with an increasingly juvenile text. I'm talking about "Ain't Seen Love Like That". It closes beautifully with "Mr. Big". Majestic, with the right feel, the right rhythm, and a passion that is present in this album and sometimes entirely absent. The third album for an important band in the '90s. Let's say, for them, this album wasn't the most successful. Ups and downs have led to slight fragmentation, which would be perfected only with "Hey Man", for me, their peak. A good album, with gems, but with some not-so-memorable episodes.