News |

Guitar World Column |

Interviews |

Pictures |

Album Reviews |

Gig Reviews |

Release Dates |

History |

Articles |

Setlists |

Upcoming |

Contact

Track Listing: Undertow American Beauty Stranger In My Life Nobody Takes The Blame Still Ain't Enough For Me Once Upon A Time As Far As I Can See All The Way Up I Won't Get In My Way Around The World I Get The Feeling Unforgiven (Bonus Track)

Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan, Eric Martin and Pat Torpey reunited as Mr. Big in 2009, and have come up with their first studio album in ten years. Ever since that night of February 28th 2009 when I saw Gilbert as he invited his Mr. Big band mates on stage for an encore jam, I have been waiting to see what the group achieves with its comeback album. Here it is, ready for release, and my anticipation couldn't have been any greater than what it is at this very moment.

The album opens with "Undertow", which boasts of an excellent song structure and the layering of the four musical components altogether sounds very crisp. The guitar solo is very easy on the ears. All of this and a catchy chorus laid down aptly by Eric Martin makes this a feel-good tune, and sets the foundation for the remainder of the album. The following track "American Beauty" is more of a typical Mr. Big tune, and fans of Racer X will certainly appreciate this, as it has a somewhat similar feel to it as the likes of Racer X hits "Street Lethal" and "Superheroes". Billy Sheehan's insane bass playing is a lot more prominent on this track as its less guitar oriented. Things quieten down for the next track "Stranger In My Life", a ballad-type song. This one is mostly about Eric's vocals, and he holds his own quite well. Gilbert's solo is beautiful, just proving how easily he can maneuver his playing style according to the kind of song.

"Nobody Left To Blame" keeps things slow but is much heavier than its predecessor, with some delightful bass lines. Gilbert continues to mesmerize, and the main guitar melody fades into the next track "Still Ain't Enough For Me". This song offers a complete change in tempo and Billy Sheehan shows just exactly why he is sometimes termed as a "lead bassist". Here you can listen to him dueling with Gilbert's guitar solos and be thrilled to bits, just as I am. After those mind-boggling three minutes, "Once Upon A Time" serves as an interesting follow-up, and in contrast to the previous tune, it's more about how the bass and guitar combine and harmonize together. "As Far As I Can See" is pretty similar in style to the album opener, and goes along at a leisurely pace, filled to the brim with yet more Paul Gilbert magic.

"All The Way Up" is another lyric-oriented track and gives Eric Martin full opportunity to put forth his prowess. "I Won't Get In My Way" is a good follow-up, a musically rich and full-sounding tune that typifies Kevin Shirley's masterly production. Next comes "Around The World", and with it the insane bass licks are back to complete domination. Eric Martin and Pat Torpey do excellently well to keep up with Billy Sheehan's speed as he goes absolutely nuts on that bass. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album, without a doubt. The standard edition of the album ends with "I Get The Feeling", where the music pretty much summarizes the album as a whole and has all the elements that make up "What If..." . The album comes with two different bonus tracks, "Kill Me With A Kiss" exclusively for Japan and "Unforgiven" exclusively for Europe and North America. My version has "Unforgiven", which is quite a tasteful addition to an album that is already abundant with masterful musicianship.

On the whole, I am absolutely thrilled and blown away by Mr. Big's seventh studio album. This is one album I'll be spinning regularly for quite a while from now on, and it has the potential to end up being one of the best releases of the year, which is saying a lot for an album with an early February release. Gilbert and Sheehan never cease to amaze me as musicians, and they have vindicated my faith in them as my favorite guitarist and bassist on the planet, respectively.

A stellar effort that lives up to all expectations, and then some.