A welcome 30th anniversary reissue, 1991’s Lean Into It, the second studio album from Los Angeles band Mr. Big, gets the luxury treatment with high-end digital mastering from the original analog tapes. Though they’ve been on hiatus since 2017, following the sad death of drummer Pat Torpey, the band has enjoyed a relatively stable and lengthy career since their 1989 self-titled debut.
For those unfamiliar with the origins of Mr. Big, bassist Billy Sheehan, after leaving David Lee Roth’s backing band, recruited Eric Martin (lead vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitar) and Torpey, and hired Herbie Herbert (who had previously guided Journey, Europe and Santana) as the band’s manager. The assembled players were already respected musicians at this point. Martin previously helmed his own Eric Martin Band, Gilbert came courtesy of fellow Los Angeles outfit, Racer X, while Torpey had worked with diverse list of artists including Belinda Carlisle, Ted Nugent, Robert Plant and Stan Bush.
Though primarily labelled as “hard rock,” Mr. Big always had a knack for matching their incendiary solos and deep riffs with catchy hooks and vocal harmonies. In its original incarnation, Lean Into It hit Number 15 on the Billboard album charts, and boasted a Number One hit single with “To Be With You;” a memorable, stripped-back, country-rock number with ringing acoustic guitar and hand-clapping percussion. Indeed, the entire set holds up remarkably well.
Opener “Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy” fizzes along at high tempo, with Torpey’s excellent, subtly swinging drumming and plenty of sharp guitar. It’s an immediately likeable slice of pure kinetic fun. The production, as with all the tracks here, is clear and crisp, but not too clean. The band make for a tight unit, with some impressive displays of musical unity. The splendidly named “Green Tinted Sixties Mind” springs forth on synth blasts and nifty, finger-picked electric guitar, before settling down into a rolling, mid-tempo number. There’s admirable sonic space left here, with plenty of room for the individual players to contribute. Together, they conjure up a deep slab of harmonious rock, with enough bottom-end to sink a battleship, and enough melody and variation to amply reward your time.
Really, you have to wonder how they didn’t score more hits. There’s a commercial sheen here, which is in no way forced or contrived. “Never Say Never” blasts out at thrilling speed, with outlaw country swagger and more of Torpey’s pounding, character-driven drums. “Road To Ruin” showcases the band’s vocal abilities, with some nice harmonizing over a sweating backdrop of pulsing bass and heavy riffs.
On this 30th Anniversary Edition, we get three extra tracks — early versions of “Alive And Kickin’” and “Green Tinted Sixties Mind,” which are sure to please fans plus, of all things, an enjoyable reggae version of “To Be With You,” which works far better than you might think. All in all, Lean Into It is well worth revisiting or discovering for the first time. It sounds like early 90s rock, certainly; the album’s sound pins it down squarely to a particular place and time. In the long run, however, that can only be a strong point, and the quality and depth of the music is nothing if not considerable.
~ Chris Wheatley
