Search - The Mick Fleetwood Band :: Something Big

Wow! This is an Awesome CD!

T. B. Vick | The Lone Star State | 09/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is a mind blower. I actually did not know what to expect when I bought it (this is Mic Fleetwood, you know! Mr. Eccentric himself). However, I was wonderfully surprised.



The CD opens with a monster of a song, "Bitter End." This is a very bluesy, slide guitar song with a huge sound and a wonderful tune/hook. I'll be surprised if this song is not a hit. After this song, the CD moves into great song after great song. Todd Smallwood's vocals are wonderful, they blend well with every song, and he sounds like several great singers from Jackson Browne (who appears on the CD helping on certain songs as performer/songwriter) to Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen all mixed up together.



One of the better songs on the CD is 'Where the Wind Blows' which has a bluesy Bob Dylan/Jackson Brown type sound to it. It is a heavy slow waltz that has a lot of body, a big sound, great drum work and great vocal blending by Smallwood and Lauren Evans. This is one of my favorite songs on the CD (you have to sample it).



Following this tune is a funk rock type song titled "Its Only Money." The Hammond organ in the background really makes this song have some great texture. Every song on this CD is good and has a life of its own. The whole CD is good, so there is not a bad apple in the bunch (this is rare, most CD's have at least one mediocre song - but not this one!)



From blues, to rock, to ballads (like 'Making Other Plans, which has a twist on John Lennon's lyric "Life is what happens when your busy making other plans), this is becoming one of my all time favorite albums. If you like Mic Fleetwood or Fleetwood Mac, then you will most certainly enjoy this album (even though it really does not sound like a Fleetwood Mac album). I highly recommend this CD! Sample it and see for yourself."

Rock & Roll The Way It Was Meant To Be Played

Jef Fazekas | Newport Beach, California United States | 12/27/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sceptics among us might question the legitamacy of referring to SOMETHING BIG as a Mick Fleetwood albim, and they might be partially right...in many ways, the disc could be considered the debut release from Todd Smallwood, the singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist who wrote or co-wrote eleven of the CD's twelve tracks. However, such an assumption would greatly short change Fleetwood's contributions to the album: his signature drumming anchors SOMETHING BIG throughout, and he certainly has a knack for discovering new talent (can anyone say Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and, to a lesser degree, Bob Welch?). So if tacking his name on to this project helps propel Smallwood and vocalist Lauren Evans towards superstardom, more power to them! All it really boils down to is that SOMETHING BIG is the kind of solid rock record Fleetwood loves to make and the kind you just don't (sadly) see much of any more. Changing from vibe to vibe and flavor to flavor with each song, this chameleon-like disc opens with the slinky "Bitter End." All sultry vocals and stinging guitars, the song is melodic and heavy all at the same time. Next up is the rollicking title track, a call-to-arms to try and attempt "something big", even if it's living your life to it's fullest. With it's Mellencampesque groove, there's a sweetness to the song that's tempered by a healthy dose of wisdom. The instrumentation is sharp, yet uncluttered, Evans provides sterling backing vocals and Smallwood's lead vocal, which comes across as equal parts Dylan and a male Kim Carnes (particularly in his phrasing) is heartfelt and powerful. "Where The Wind Blows" opens with an airy spoken prologue from Fleetwood that perfectly sets the stage for the wistful pub ballad. With it's strumming guitars, gentle drumming and muted accordion, you can just picture the band playing this song in some far-off Irish countryside pub, the patron's eyes and minds wandering off to better days as Smallwood and Evans' voices entwine around meloncholy lyrics ("As sure as the darkness/Will swallow the day/Where the wind blows I will follow", "There's a full moon above/Staring down from the sky/To a world that is captive and frozen"). Awesome, absolutely awesome! Ditto the gut-punching "It's Only Money"....picture Dire Straits with Christina Aguliera sitting in (seriously!). SOMETHING BIG's most rousing rocker, Fleetwood provides some spot-on percussion, while Evans' backing vocals are nothing short of awe-inspiring (Mark my word, the potential for a KILLER solo album is most definitely there!). Without a doubt, my favorite cut on the disc! Next up is the blistering 70's blues guitar-driven "Walking With The Angels." With it's haunting lyrics and low-key arrangement, the track could have easily fit on any of Fleetwood Mac's early 70's/pre-BuckinghamNicks albums (I can just picture Christine McVie providing backing vocals for this song!). "Making Other Plans" is nothing new, the type of "Don't make too many plans in life" kind of song that everyone from Lennon to Springsteen has done, but Smallwood delivers it in an honest, down to earth manner, while the arrangement is lush, gorgeous and understated, all at the same time. The bouncy harmonica-driven "These Walls" just makes me smile...this is the kind of classic pop/rock I grew up on! Fleetwood's drumming is rock solid, the chiming guitars are captivating and Smallwood's vocals snake in and out in the most charming way. And did I mention that harmonica?!? Another winner!! "Looking Into You" is an unrecorded Jackson Browne song that dates back to the sessions for his own debut album. The hushed ballad is classic Browne, but the fact that Smallwood can make it his own attests to A) the universal power of Browne's writing abilities and B) Smallwood's interpretive skills. Yet another beauty! Next up are the disc's two only real clunkers, the "lost-in-the-60's" rock excess of "Passion" and the cliche-driven smarminess of "No Borders." I mean, c'mon, didn't we finally ban lyrics like "One day/When every war is over/The only passport/Will be the heart" in the early 90's after reaching our sappy limits with the dreaded 80's power ballad?!? Truly awful. Things rebound nicely with "Watching Over You", a lovely lullaby-like ballad, and "Heaven Sent", a jazzed-tinged sidewalk cafe number that dovetails into a Santana-like wailer that just drips emotion and energy and excellence from every chord, every note. The track ends things on an incredibly high note, which is saying a lot, considering the CD's overall brilliance. So....pick up SOMETHING BIG...you'll be treated to the amazing stick work of Mick Fleetwood that you've come to expect, the sizable talents of newcomers Todd Smallwood and Lauren Evans and one of the best, most diverse rock records in many a moon (As with all my 2004 release reviews, I'm giving the disc an additional half a star for including the lyrics)."

Unexpected Gem

J. Gambino | 02/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I do not remember how this CD ended up in the last stack of music I purchased from Amazon...but I am sure glad that it did. This is an exceptional effort. It holds your interest from start to finish. The song writing is strong and the compositions varied. It incorporates several musical styles so the songs do not blend into an amorphous collection. There is great diversity in the musical elements employed as well as a wonderful use of accompanying and background vocals. This clearly has a cooperative group feel, where the priority was to get the songs and music to sound as strong as possible. I only hope this is not the beginning and end of a special collaborative effort!!"