Actual Size [Extra tracks, Import]

Mr. Big were steadily tending to a more pop, less riff driven flavour across the course of their career. The departure of Paul Gilbert and addition of Richie Kotzen in Gilbert's place didn't seem to do anything to change this.

Eric Martin's vocals have always sounded as though they were oriented more towards AOR rock than the high tempo, riff and solo heavy debut album's music. On the final Mr. Big album, it seems to have become Eric's band. The songs are focused almost one hundred percent on the vocals, which should appeal to anyone who enjoyed the mega-hit ballad 'To Be With You' though it would be unfair to imply that all the songs were quite as soft as that.

For me, the standout track is 'Suffocation', probably the heaviest track on the album, where Kotzen even takes over lead vocals for some small sections. Personally, I prefer Kotzen's voice to Eric Martin's, so I relish this part of the song. However, I think 'Suffocation' is also the most exciting track instrumentally, though still nothing like the early work with Paul Gilbert.

One thing that surprises me however, is the number of people from outside the band credited with co-penning songs. There isn't a single track credited solely to members of the band. It surprises me that even the handful of tracks which, seemingly Kotzen (who is a strong songwriter) the majority of involved outside help. Nevertheless, Kotzen (mostly)penned 'Wake Up' and 'Shine' are among the better tracks of the album. 'Shine', I'm told, reached number one in the Japanese singles charts, and so it should have done. It may be a long way from the hard rock (emphasis on hard) that fans of early Mr. Big love, but the songs (for all their outside help), particularly 'Shine' and 'Suffocation' are well written and enjoyable to any open-minded appreciator of good music. It's certainly a lot better than the stuff that seems to fill the charts over here most weeks of the year.

A final note to fans of Paul Gilbert whose main concern may be number of solos and quality of solos performed by Richie. Paul Gilbert is currently, and has been for a few years now, my favourite guitarist out of everyone I've heard, (and that's quite a lot,) but Richie is a great player too. In terms of technical skills, Richie is a close match to Paul, but it is true that Richie is more blues and jazz influenced, and I'd even say more modest with his solos, so there are perhaps fewer, and Richie is not always pushing himself to his technical limits, but within this band neither did Paul. In his favour though, Richie's playing style is, I think, more distinctive, more serious, and blends with the flavour of Mr. Big at the time with a greater ease.