New Music Review: Mr. Big – The Stories We Could Tell

                Whether it was because they came in at the tail end of the hair metal genre (1989), or the fact that in twenty-five years they have released a total of eight albums, Mr. Big doesn’t really get the credit that they deserve.  Yes, they are huge in Japan (all white guys are huge in Japan though…get it? get it?) but that success never really translated to the United States (except for in 1991, they were huge then but died out quickly). 

                The band went through some turmoil around the millennium and broke up for a time, reemerging in 2011 with What If… a good album that sounded like an adequate continuation of their discography.  The Stories That We Could Tell is an even further continuation of that discography.  The album showcases what Mr. Big does best, combine great musicianship with an excellent singer, throw in a couple ballads and you get another classic Mr. Big record. 

                One of the things that I loved about the hair metal genre (and believe me, there was enough to dislike) was the fact that the musicians were so technically proficient in their instruments.  They were able to play fast and accurate and really showed a mastery of their craft that I found to be incredibly admirable (I’m a sucker for a killer guitar solo, so I’m probably a little easier to win over than most with that kind of music).  The fact of the matter is that Mr. Big is one of the most technically proficient bands I have ever heard.  While their older albums are full of tracks that could easily fit into anyone’s characterization of “hair metal”, their recent releases have provided a little less flash but no less substance.  Everyone involved has fallen into their role of creating a straight up rock band, something that an older generation can listen to and enjoy, and maybe remember back to their youth when songs like “To Be With You” and “Green-Tinted Sixties Mind” were radio mainstays.  Mr. Big traffics in nostalgia (as do most older bands nowadays) but they do it without mailing in the quality of their newer music. 

                Standout tracks include “I Forget to Breathe” and “It’s Always About That Girl”, two songs that take that technical proficiency and put it right on display.  That along with Eric Martin’s vocals (think Jeff Keith from Tesla but with half a pack less of cigarettes smoked per day) make for a lethal combination that have the ability to transport the listener to a different time and place (as all good music can do).  This is definitely an album that you should check out.  It’s not the best album you’ll hear all year, but it’s a solid album that will be in a constant rotation in my car for quite some time.