No one who has heard anything of Queen + Paul Rodgers recently will have any thoughts that either party will reach the heights that they once did. While their coming together has been a good thing for them, allowing them to tour and play a whole variety of songs, they are a new band. In fact I would preferred to have seen them take a new name for the band, so as not sully what have been great careers to this point.
Anyway, the first release from this trio and their band partners is here, and it is a departure from what one would have liked to have heard, but is unsurprising that it is not. Gone is the innovation that is one of the hallmarks of Queen’s background, and gone are the strong vocals that Paul Rodgers has in his earlier incantations. What we have instead is a selection of songs that are disappointingly average. What ‘rock’ songs there are on the album tend very much toward the pop side of rock.
The presence of Brian May’s scintillating guitar is toned down into the wash, where it rarely comes into its own. Ditto Roger Taylor's drumming. The beauty of Queen’s album’s was that they were always interesting, and they always tried new ideas. It is the lack of anything outstanding or new here that drags it into the mire. It feels almost like a 70’s pop album.
So no. It doesn’t work, and that’s a shame. No doubt there are people out there who will enjoy this, but it just doesn’t feel right from the first time you put it on. There is no spark, there is no fire. As an easy listening album you might get marks, but for guys that have set the bar so high in years gone by, it ranks as a fizzer.
Rating: Disappointingly average. 2 / 5.
No comments:
Post a Comment