Mr. Big in Bloomington, MN

It's too bad that
Nevermind
had to make this sort of
rock
unfashionable in the early '90s. Anchored by the world-class chops of guitarist
Paul Gilbert
and bassist
Billy Sheehan
,
Mr. Big
's debut album is an adrenaline-fueled dose of pure
rock & roll
attitude. Don't let the big hair and leather pants fool you; much like
Bon Jovi
is definitely not in the same category as '80s
pop-metal
bands such as
Poison
. One difference is the fact that
is composed of monstrously talented musicians. Witness, for example, the ascending guitar/bass figure in the beginning of
"Addicted to that Rush"
or the unison hits and strong groove to
"Wind Me Up"
or
"Merciless."
Eric Martin
's sophomoric lyrics are admittedly the weakest link here ("Zip the lipstick on/Like BBQ sauce"), which often distract from his fine gritty voice, which is somewhere in between
Steven Tyler
and
Steve Perry
. The songwriting is also very strong, with the
ballads
"Had Enough"
"Big Love"
especially showing the depth of
's skill. At the same time, when they want to lay it down, they lay it down. The aforementioned
is both passionate and expertly delivered, with the band's technique and sheer drive complementing each other perfectly.
was to equal the successes of their debut on their subsequent albums, but they were never again able to sustain that same level of quality over the course of an entire record. ~ Daniel Gioffre