I got my copy in the mail last Friday, and have spent a good chunk of
the weekend listening to it.
I think that, if you're expecting the bombast and lushness of a Queen
album of the past, you will wind up disappointed. Two glaring things are
missing. The first is obvious, Freddie. The second is the lack of John's
bass and musical input - basslines are pretty simple and not very
prominent in the mix. I also feel that the album was a bit of a rush
job, and could've benefitted from some more time writing and producing
it (which, of course, is understandable considering all three of the
guys have other concerns they're dealing with, Brian especially).
However, I found much to like on this album - as they were recording
it, Brian mentioned that they'd be delving into some newer sounds you
may not have heard from them before, and he's right. "Time To Shine" has
elements of U2 in it. I was really taken by "Small", it's a really great
song and could well have the most widespread appeal, in fact it should
be the next single! Others I liked were "All Things That Glitter" and
"We Believe". I was also pleased with the opening of "Surf's Up,
School's Out!", whuch sounded like some of Robert Mile's work before
going into that long, one chord vamp.....
Much of the rest of the album would be much what I was expecting - an
amalgamation of Queen's trademark tones with Paul's Bad Company/Free
past. The rockers are certainly more in the bluesy hard rock domain
rather than the more metal stuff. Many are pleasant and listenable, with
the exception of "Warboys", which seems so uninspired and going through
the motions (a shame really as Roger's drums on this are the only saving
grace of the track). My favorites of these conventional tracks are
"Cosmos Rockin'" "Still Burnin' " (with Brian's wahed slide guitar and a
rather clever use of the rhythm track from WWRY) and "Through The Night"
(arguably Brian's best guitar performance on the album). And for the
record, "C-Lebrity" is growing on me (but then, anything that disses
Paris Hilton - as I suspect that is what the song is about - is fine by
me ;) )
if you're wondering, yes, there are vocal harmonies on this, and
while they sound a bit jarring without Freddie, are well-performed and
recorded. Brian's guitars? Well, again, I wish he had found some more
time to work on them and the solos, a number of them sound like rehashes
of what I'd heard before, and the treble tone is a little too, let's
say, crisp to my liking. Chord tone is of course huge, and rhythm is
tight. A lot more acoustic work too, though I suspect Paul contributed a
fair share of that. And while I mention I'm still over the moon about
"Small", I keep hearing in my own mind a piano line that should've been
there.
My verdict? If you're a Queen purist, you may be very disappointed.
For those with a bit more of an open mind it's certainly worth a listen,
and definitely worth the purchase - there are a number of tracks which I
wish I had the talent to write and perform. I'm sure that even if they
had decided to go with a totally new name change they'd still be taking
a critical drubbing for this album anyway by the press. I just think
that if there is a next album that they take as long as possible to
record a real total mind-blower is there, there's potential here......
final score - B+
Dan Dreibelbis, Guitar Nerd - Better Living Through Home Recording
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=121942
Current Songs - "Barbecue Man"
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