“OK, we’re rolling.”
And with those three declarative words — as spoken by producer Kevin Elson right after the music kicks in on “Open Your Eyes,” an instant callback to the beginning of “Addicted to That Rush,” the hard-charging lead track on the band’s self-titled 1989 debut — Mr. Big plants the flag between past, present, and future with DEFYING GRAVITY, the band’s ninth original studio album that’s set for release on Frontiers Music Srl on July 21, 2017.
DEFYING GRAVITY, recorded in just six (count ’em!) days at Ocean Studios in Burbank, California, reunites Mr. Big with the aforementioned noted producer Kevin Elson (Journey, Europe, Lynyrd Skynyrd), who’s back behind the boards for the first time since helming the band’s first four albums. DEFYING GRAVITY deftly showcases that patented Mr. Big blend of crunch and melody, from the freight-train ride of the aforementioned opening cut “Open Your Eyes” to the harmony-laden wonderment of “Damn I’m in Love Again” to the grateful/wistful nostalgia of “1992” (recalling the days when the band was flying high atop the singles charts with their international #1 smash “To Be With You”) to the barnburning slide-blues closing track, “Be Kind.” Overall, DEFYING GRAVITY is prime evidence that the only thing Mr. Big remains tethered to is their ongoing pursuit of achieving creative excellence.
