Originally published by L.S. Media. January 25th 2011.

What if…is the first studio album in ten years by the L.A rock giants Mr. Big and if you are going to go away for that long and then do an album, it has to be a cracking one. Thankfully Eric Martin, Pat Torpey, Billy Sheehan and Paul Gilbert deliver an album high on octane and memories of past glories withheld at the studio door.

The four original members of the band, back together for the first time since the 1996 Hey Man album, may be a long way from the days when they were touted as one of the bright young things to come out California. However they have lost none of the swagger that you would expect from a band that typifies the charm, confidence and showmanship that exemplified the late 1980’s American Rock scene.

Eric Martin has lost none of his early charisma and his vocal style is still there for all to hear. Much of the capturing of Eric’s unique delivery must be laid at the door of Producer Kevin Shirley, whose own credits read like a who’s who of the rock world.

What if… opens with the barn storming Undertow, a song of such magnitude that its very presence on the album is assured as one of the great opening tracks of all time. The song shows a sense of maturity and insightfulness in to a band that really should never have been away from the public gaze.

What if… though doesn’t confine itself to the opening track to show how they have progressed as a band since their split in 2002 and their subsequent reformation in 2009, every track on the album is one of quality and the song Nobody Left to Blame reaches into your very soul and squeezes hard. The album can only be likened to the idea of Barnum’s three ringed circus, there is so much going on with the sound and vocals it may be daunting to know where to begin.

What if…shows what can be achieved by a band that has been away for far too long, no expectations, no insane chatter by fans who slate it before it’s released and most of all, the delivery of an album that will have you putting to the front of your collection.

Ian D. Hall