Mr. Big is preparing to release their ninth studio album, Defying Gravity, on July 7 via Frontiers Music.
Best known for their 1992 number 1 album To Be With You, the new album is the follow-up for 2014’s …The Stories We Could Tell.
The band includes their original lineup with Eric Martin, Billy Sheehan, Pat Torpey and Paul Gilbert and have brought back producer Kevin Elson who handled three of the band’s previous albums. In addition, Matt Starr plays drums in place of Torpey on much of the album as the drummer is suffering from Parkinson’s Disease.
Gilbert said of the making of the album “It was great to get back in the studio with our original producer, Kevin Elson. Kevin recorded all of our original classic albums from the ’80s and ’90s, and we immediately felt that magic chemistry with him on Defying Gravity. We basically played live in the studio. Over the years, we’ve all had a chance to experiment with every recording technique possible, but it’s still always the best just to play together as a band. Most of my guitar solos were tracked live with the band. I’ve worked hard on my improvisation in the last few years, and it really paid off on this record… both melodically and on the face-melting stuff.”
Mr Big Defying Gravity track list
Open Your Eyes
Defying Gravity
Everybody Needs a Little Trouble
Damn I’m In Love Again
Mean To Me
Nothing Bad (About Feeling Good)
Forever And Back
She’s All Coming Back To Me Now
1992
Nothing At All
Be Kind
