Michigan Girl wrote:Deb, did you ever post this ...been reading all of Mr. Akins reviews to see how
he fares on the releases that
I care about ...!!
http://pitriff.com/cd-reviews/classic-metal?start=10Mr. Big - WHAT IF (Frontiers)
Mr. Big
WHAT IF...
Frontiers Records
So many of these “80s reunions” have been above average. Maybe the band’s haven’t always gotten all the members back in place, but they’ve still, for the most part, represented their past very well...at least in the last year or two. Let’s face it, Ratt’s INFESTATION turned up on a lot of Top 10 lists last year, which probably surprised the band as much as any fans. Dokken didn’t hurt themselves any with LIGHTNING STRIKES AGAIN as they honed their sound to be the best clone of their glory years that they could be in the 21st century. Even bands that didn’t come back at full strength (Extreme and Winger come to mind with their albums) didn’t embarrass themselves by any means. The reason seems simple enough to me. These were all bands that had actual musical substance in the day. These were singers that could sing, and instrumentalists that could really play their instruments. Of all the bands of the 80s, it’s hard to argue that the most talented of all of them was Mr. Big. Eric Martin could wail. Billy Sheehan is one of the most elite bassists on the planet. Paul Gilbert is just a shade under the Satriani’s and Vai’s of the world, and Pat Torpey, while unheralded, has been recognized for his musical genius on drums by one of the best ever - Neil Peart of Rush.
So yes, these guys could really play back then. But what about now? Would their reunion be muddled up with each guy, after 20 years of freedom from a band environment, simply trying to bring their “After-Big” careers into the project? The answer is a resounding “no”. To my many friends that heard about this reunion and asked me for an opinion on WHAT IF... to this point, I’ve had a fairly short and sweet answer to their questions. “It’s standard Mr. Big”. Simple and to the point, WHAT IF...is exactly what you would expect if you stopped paying attention at any point in their career. Take that as a good thing. While most people think that Mr. Big started and ended with LEAN INTO IT, they actually had a nice long run as a band that never lost their signature sound or their direction. In many ways, WHAT IF... fits exactly into that mold. Eric Martin still brings it on each and every song vocally. Billy Sheehan still plays his bass like a guitar. Paul Gilbert still shreds without overplaying, and Pat Torpey keeps things moving on each and every song. As a band, Mr. Big spent as much time being on the verge of a full out jam as they did being singles-oriented, and that doesn’t change here. Listening to Gilbert and Sheehan trade solos in the middle of “Around The World” is very reminiscent of material from their self-titled debut. Eric Martin is still as versatile and strong as ever; be it on powerful numbers like “American Beauty”, or on softer numbers like “Nobody Left To Blame”. Pat Torpey is rock solid as always. The songwriting is solid as well, yet fun to listen to. This is late 80s sounding Rock N’ Roll by a band that did it as good as anyone did during that time. Like I said before, this is standard stuff from Mr. Big. Fortunately for them, they had a pretty high standard.
PITRIFF RATING - 91/100 - I was a big fan of Mr. Big back in the day...big enough to pay full price on several occasions to see them open for a band that I’m not especially fond of, Rush. Being completely honest, I have not really been a big fan of these guys’ solo projects outside of Mr. Big. I’m glad they came back though, and I’m even happier that they came back focused on what Mr. Big was in their day. This could have been a huge letdown, but came out surprisingly solid. A bit heavier than their past efforts, but still excellent. It’s time to get addicted to that rush once again.
Chris Akin
Another great review and with the same 91/100 rating.......from LOUD magazine out of Australia.
LOL......Eric "Benjamin Button" Martin.
http://www.loudmag.com.au/content/mr-big-what-if
Mr Big - What If...
15-Jun-2011
Label: Frontiers/Riot
Produced by Kevin Shirley
Playing time: 46:38
Rating: 91%
Reviewed by Steve Mascord
So here’s how this review was going to start: I was going to say that Mr Big, along with Extreme, were classic examples of bands that copied Van Halen’s technical mastery without grasping any of the visceral energy that made them great. I was going to say that Mr Big tried to counter their show-off-manship with overly commercial acoustic ballads, none of which altered the fact they were, and are, a little soulless.
But I’m not going to say any of that now. Because now I love Mr Big. Now I can’t get enough of their latest record, What If... What changed?
I saw them live!
A few weeks ago in Columbia in Maryland, Billy Sheehan, Eric "Benjamin Button" Martin, Pat Torpey and Paul Gilbert blew away more than a dozen other "hair metal" bands at the M3 Festival. These guys’ musicianship is almost athletic in nature. Their chops are so breath-taking that it seems almost humble of them to apply themselves to conventional, commercial song structures. You thank them for bothering to try to communicate with mortals like ourselves.
See them in the flesh, and it all makes sense. Suddenly, What If ... – which this reviewer was prepared to listen to a few times, dismiss in words, and leave behind – is one of the releases of the year.
"Undertow" is a beguiling, stirring, chugging pop metal song reminiscent of the Van Hagar years. "American Beauty"? Orgasmic Big Rock that probably eclipses anything Sheehan did with Diamond David Lee Roth. "Stranger in My Life" represents a perfect balance between lyrical pathos and restrained musical delivery, "No-one to Blame" just builds and builds through the verse before erupting in the chorus.
More? "Still Ain’t Enough for Me" is driven by Sheehan’s bass, a song by uber-musos, for uber-musos but still great for the rest of us. "Once Upon a Time" will dig itself into the musical centre of your brain like a grappling hook and they don’t make soaring vocals and driving rhythms like those in "As Far as I Can See" anymore. "I got a deep suspicion/You’re out there playing games/But I never see the faces/I don’t know the names".
"I Won’t Get in My Way" is all about positive reinforcement, like the major hard rock releases always used to be: "Viva la strange – take a bite of Eden’s apple," sings the man who just seems to get younger. "Around the World" sums up what Mr Big are about – dazzling musicianship to start off, then an insidious chorus that would survive even without the contortionist feats on the drums, bass and guitar.
Take what you want out of it – the widdly-widdly or the melodies. They don’t care. "I Get The Feeling" is fun, perfectly delivered and makes it clear these guys are happy to be alive. Give What If... a few spins and you will too.
Even as he has written this review with an album he has lived with a month playing in his ears, your correspondent had been adding percentage points to the rating above. It’s a good lesson about not dismissing music too quickly, nor relying on preconceptions. What If... it was 1991? Then this would be one of the biggest selling albums of all time.
And hey, Perry is 61, hell, no way he'd be able to keep up.
