MR. BIG
Get Over it (Atlantic)
Reviewed by Christophe Chuvan

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In the late 80's, when word got around that virtuoso musicians Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan were putting together some sort of super-group, many feared that a major shredfest would emerge out of the collaboration. Yet, against all odds, Mr. Big turned out to be nothing like Gilbert's previous band, RacerX. Their singer, Eric Martin, was certainly responsible for a good share of this turn of events. His mighty rasp, along with Mr. Big's groovy rhythm section, conferred the band a bluesy edge that set them apart from the hair-bands of the era.

Being a major fan of their first two albums but not so much of their later, softer work, I was only slightly intrigued when I learned that Paul Gilbert had left the band he had co-founded, but I was definitely more interested when it surfaced that Richie Kotzen was stepping in his place. While better known for a high-profile stint in Poison (sic), this guy had put out a solid body of guitar recordings, melding jazz, rock and blues and I was curious to find out how his eclectic style would meld with Mr. Big.

From the first measures of "Electrified," the opening track, you're in familiar territory. The song opens with a simple but catchy guitar riff, Sheehan plays bass like only he can play it and Martin sounds as youthful as ever. For all you know, nothing's changed in the world of Mr. Big. The impression lingers as the album progresses and yet, at the end, you realize that, even though it is definitely Mr. Big, a subtle change has taken place.

To start with, this band hasn't played with that much energy for a while. The softer, acoustic side of the band is still present but now, at least, the faster numbers are not just there to make up the numbers. The new blood injected in the band becomes more apparent in the instrumental breaks. New boy Kotzen really lets it rip, playing with as much flash as Gilbert once did but also adding jazzy and Hendrixian touches here and there, letting you know that a different guy is behind the six strings this time around. One of the most important aspects of this band was always the chemistry between the guitar player and the bass player. Changing the former doesn't seem to have affected this chemistry and fans will be happy to hear familiar Mr. Big-isms all over the place, although Richie is clearly not afraid of adding his own spin to these intricate guitar-bass harmonies.

Of course, the band can't help sound popish at times, and "Superfantastic" is a clear attempt at a radio-friendly single, but this usually comes with the territory when you write hooks as catchy as these are. Still, one could admire the band for sticking to their guns even when raspy-singer-fronted bands with blues leanings clearly aren't the flavor of the moment. These guys enjoy they do and what they do can't be classified as heavy metal, grunge, pop or even hard rock. It's called rock'n'roll and, hopefully, there will always be a crowd for that.

At the end of the day, this release isn't likely to bring back the chart-topping days of "Lean Into It," but it is nice to see that replacing a key member hasn't dampened the band's enthusiasm. If anything, change has revived their fire and they look ready to keep rocking for a while.

© 2000 - Christophe Chuvan