Mr. Big
What If...

They were the only ones missing...

In a period, that of recent years, dense with reunions and excellent comebacks, Mr. Big also makes their reappearance (aka Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan, and Pat Torpey) and they do it with an excellent album of gritty and melodic hard rock as per tradition, picking up right where they left off, as if the almost 15 years since "Hey Man," their last work together, had never passed (no offense to Ritchie Kotzen supporters, but the most genuine Mr. Big are the ones with Gilbert on guitar). Introduced by the usual understated cover as per the group's custom, here is "What If...", fresh from publication by the Italian label Frontiers Records.

"Undertow", the opening track and first single, shows that fortunately, things haven't changed: an energetic mid-tempo with a catchy melody and a chorus that immediately hits at first listen; class is permanent and the four have it to spare, as demonstrated by Paul's exquisite solo. The following "American Beauty" is a fast rock that closely recalls "Colorado Bulldog" in structure and rhythm, seasoned with the first of the inevitable "duels" between Gilbert and Sheehan; "Stranger in My Life" is instead a typical "Mr. Big-style" ballad, with an outstanding Eric Martin. These three tracks alone are enough to once again understand that all the essential ingredients of the group's sound are in place: energy, melody, solos, remarkable vocal lines... everything sounds Mr. Big from the first to the last note and it's like this for all 11 tracks (plus bonus) of the album.

Worth noting is the unusually low number of ballads (only two, besides the aforementioned "Stranger in My Life" there's "All the Way Up") and the total absence of acoustic tracks (no "To Be with You 2011," then...) in favor of more impactful and incisive tracks. The final pair "Around the World" - "I Get the Feeling" is a perfect example: irresistible rhythm and catchy choruses that stick in your head and don’t let go; a formula replicated successfully in other episodes like "Once upon a Time" or "I Won't Get in My Way", enriched with a more modern and heavier sound (but no nu-something or alternative contaminations, don't worry...). The common denominator of all the tracks is obviously the absolute skill of every single member: Eric's voice seems not to suffer at all from advancing years, Gilbert churns out both piercing riffs and delicate arpeggios and together with Sheehan forms a textbook solo-producing pair, and Torpey on the drums is as usual precise and never intrusive.

Mr. Big is back and they’ve done it in great style, with a fresh and engaging album; above all, a sincere album, devoid of contaminations too far from the group's style, which sounds exactly as you would expect from them, just as if those famous 15 years had never passed. A work that leaves behind the perhaps too soft atmospheres of "Bump Ahead" and reconnects with what was done in the first two masterpieces, handing us back a band in great shape and ready to reclaim their rightful place in the hard rock scene.

Flaws? Yes: Kevin Shirley (let's sign a petition to keep him away from the mixer!!!). After ruining the sound of post-2000 Iron Maiden (and it was a difficult feat with three guitars...), he is also the protagonist here of a somewhat questionable production, which partially undermines the final result. The main problem concerns Sheehan’s bass, recorded at an excessively high volume, so much so that in some tracks, especially where it takes center stage in call and response solos with Gilbert (one example among all: "Still Ain't Enough for Me"), it even becomes annoying, translating into an indecipherable buzz... nothing serious, it's the classic nitpicking of an album that's really well done, in my personal opinion the best post-reunion product of a band.

Welcome back, Mr. Big!