scapp70's Full Review: Back to the Light by Brian May
Out of the dark, you can hear the infamous Red Special commanding the rock orchestra through the wind chimes and a lone voice slowly singing ♫We will rock you, rock you, rock you♫. The promise of royal rock delivered with a sharp edge is implied from deep within the dark. The same brand of Royal Rock that we took for granted from the early days, something we always thought would be there.
This dramatic scene is taken from the opening instrumental track The Dark from Brian May's first full length solo album, Back to the Light. By the way, for those who do not know what I meant above by Red Special, this is the nickname given to Brian May's homemade guitar, the same one that he has been using since the late 60s. The exemplary guitarist from British Rock Group Queen, released this solo album in 1992 (early 1993 here in the US), after recording it over a number of years. He started back in 1988 during one of Queen's many hiatus from the 80s. This project was put on hold to work with the last three Queen projects, starting with The Miracle, then Innuendo and then some tracks that would be used on Made In Heaven. When it was learned that Queen vocalist Freddie Mercury had a very limited lifespan now that he was suffering from the AIDS virus, Back to the Light would be put on hold for a couple of years.
Brian is taken on the role of lead vocalist on his solo album, which only seems natural. If you are familiar with Queen's back catalog somewhat deeply then you'd be aware that Brian has sang on a handful of his songs. Within Queen, Brian would usually tackle the ballads or songs with a softer side to sing on. Here on his Back to the Light; there is an obvious new dynamic to Brian's vocal abilities. On the title track Back to the Light, a somewhat powerful song emotionally, Brian actually sounds a bit like Freddie Mercury. The song sounds like it was written with the idea that Freddie would be singing it.
There's no doubt that with former band members Freddie Mercury and bassist John Deacon, Brian's hard rock side was held in check as Queen explored either the R&B or Adult Contemporary avenues in music during the last decade mostly. While the Red Special was only allowed to meow for years, he made sure it would roar on his solo album. With tracks like the bluesy Love Token, or the mediocre I'm Scared and especially Resurrection Brian had balanced his record with some heavy rockers. Resurrection is the best out of this small lot of hard rock songs. It was written by Brian, drummer Cozy Powell and Australian guitarist Jamie Page. Brian's vocal is powerful and not without emotion as he sings ♫Gonna make my resurrection/ No more of this crap/ Got a whole new direction/ Ain't no turning back/ Resurrection is a-gonna come!. The backing vocals sounding uncannily similar to Queen, and the Red Special surely gets a work-out in the almost epic guitar solos.
Too Much Love Will Kill You is probably known better from Queen's posthumous Made in Heaven album where Freddie takes on lead vocals. With Freddie singing, the meaning of the lyrics could be easily misconstrued, but with Brian on lead vocals lyrics like ♫I used to bring you sunshine, now all I ever do is bring you down♫ make clear that the song is about heartbreak from a relationship. This powerful ballad is my favorite off the CD, Brian's vocal is just so good, it makes it hard to decide which version I enjoy more, Brian's or Queen's.
With the death of Freddie still so fresh at the time of this release, it's only natural a song or two would be a reflection of Freddie. Nothin' But Blue sends shivers down my spine whenever I hear it. Brian's Red Special seems to be weeping amidst the little fills, and the lyrics are equally as emotional.
♫My life has no rhythm, somehow it's out of tune
I keep trying to tell them, we'll be seeing them soon
But the truth keeps rushing back
Guess you know what I mean...
No I'm nothin' but blue♫
John Deacon makes an appearance on this track performing bass.
With the last few Queen studio albums released in their career, the quality of their songs were dampened for me because of the constant use of drum machines, synthesized bass or guitar. On Brian's Back to the Light, it was a nice breath of fresh air hearing humans performing the music. The late Cozy Powell made for a great drummer and musical collaborator for Brian May. In some ways, Back to the Light would have made a great Queen album if the songs weren't so personal to just Brian. A solo effort like this gets glossed over easily and it's a shame because the album is really good. After a few listens of Back to the Light, it becomes quite clear who the real heart of Queen was. Brian delivered an album of Royal Rock, the kind that the Queen of the 1970s would be proud of.
the songs
1. Dark
2. Back to the Light
3. Love Token
4. Resurrection (with Cozy Powell)
5. Too Much Love Will Kill You
6. Driven By You
7. Nothin' But Blue
8. I'm Scared
9. Last Horizon
10. Let Your Heart Rule Your Head
11. Just One Life
12. Rollin' Over
13. Driven By You (bonus track)
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