Queen guitarist
Brian May
's first complete attempt at a solo album,
Back to the Light
, focuses on the hard rock sound that
Queen
often abandoned in the 1980s. While obviously sounding similar to some of the work by his former band,
May
's path is far more hard-edged and emotionally punched than the majority of
's work. His vocals are sometimes weak for a singer, but they also add a certain tenderness that most
hard rock
frontmen seem to lack. The album succeeds best on its heaviest tracks such as the cover of
"Rollin' Over"
or
"Resurrection,"
which features pounding drums courtesy of
Cozy Powell
and thundering guitar riffs with
-like multi-tracked vocals. References to
can also be heard in the eccentric humor of such numbers as
"Love Token,"
which includes a back-and-forth dialogue in the middle of the song. Likewise, the low-key
country
song,
"Let Your Heart Rule Your Head,"
is reminiscent of
"'39"
off
's
A Night at the Opera
. The
ballads
are not as strong or as interesting and are not helped by well-meaning but overly sentimental lyrics and
light rock
arrangements. Unfortunately, the instrumental,
"Last Horizon,"
ends up sounding like Muzak.
"Driven By You,"
the album's biggest hit, was originally written for a
Ford
commercial, and it shows. That said, it is great to hear
finally get a chance to
rock
out and while the over-the-top and eccentric stylings of the album might put off some, it is those same traits that will also attract many to this work. [Note: The CD version of the album contains a remix of
"Driven By You."
] ~ Geoff Orens