MR. BIG / WHAT IF... (2011)

Mr. Big are back for good! "What If..." is the band's new release and for sure is one of the best comeback albums over the last decade! Back in 1991, Mr.Big with the hit-single "To Be With You" stormed the air waves and achieved to conquer the #1 position in 15 countries!! "Lean Into It" was the band's second album and still is one of the classic releases in the melodic hard rock scene. After this album, the band continued to release albums not as strong as their first two, but, at least, good enough efforts, strong enough to keep up the reputation that they had built!

So, Eric Martin (vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitar), Billy Sheehan (bass) and Pat Torpey (drums) reunited, recorded and, finally, released their new album which is titled "What If...". As I said earlier this is a great comeback all the way! The musicianship is over the top, the tracks are all well crafted and the production is solid as a rock. I have the feeling that "What If.." is going to be a band's future classic besides their debut and "Lean Into It". I can't find a weak moment here! Last year, the band gave us a taste of how this new album will sound with their first single "Undertow". This is the first track from "What If..". A brilliant, in an old fashioned way, melodic hard rock gem with a strong rhythm section and a catchy chorus line. "American Beauty" is a straight ahead rocker and one of my personal favorite from this album. "Stranger In My Life" is a darker tune, it has a melacholic mood but it's one of the album's biggest surprises! "Nobody Left To Blame" continues the darker mood of the previous track but this time with a more modern direction. A nice track which shows the new Mr. Big! Not bad at all.

"Still Ain't Enough For Me" is bringing the party back! It reminds me a lot of the band's big hit "Addicted ToThat Rush" from their debut. It has a strong bass line but it lacks of a memorable chorus. "Once Upon A Time" and "As Far As I Can See" are both great rockers with nice choruses, huge guitar work from Paul Gilbert and Eric Martin's passionate performances!
"All The Way Up" brings some really cool melodies and will probably be a future band's hit. "I Won't Get In My Way" is again a solid track with a catchy chorus line and great harmonies. "Around The World" is a hard rock bliss! It's anthemic, up-tempo and it's another highlight featuring some great pumpin' bass work from Sheehan! A great track! "I Get The Feeling" which closes the album is a melodic hard rock tune with a monsterous guitar solo. The Japanese version features a bonus track, "Kill Me With A Kiss".

All in all, this is a great album! It has all the energy, the musicianship and the power to bring up Mr. Big back in top of the world! Big harmonies, strong melodies, catchy enough tracks all in perfect balance! Well done!

HeavyParadise's Rating :8,5/10

track list : 01 - Undertow, 02 - American Beauty, 03 - Stranger In My Life, 04 - Nobody Left To Blame, 05 - Still Ain't Enough For Me, 06 - Once Upon A Time, 07 - As Far As I Can See, 08 - All The Way Up, 09 - I Won't Get In My Way, 10 - Around The World, 11 - I Get The Feeling, 12 - Kill Me With A Kiss [Japan bonus]