Search - Brian May :: Another World

More wonderfulness, please.

Marvin S. Long | Austin, Texas United States | 03/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is must-have stuff for any Queen fan. Brian rocks his heart out, holds nothing back. His cover of Hendrix's "One Rainy Wish" is just phenomenal."

Missing that one critical element...

Zappaphile | 01/30/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Brian May is in a very unfortunate position when it comes to his solo career- no matter what he puts out it will always be compared to his work with Queen. Another World is no exception and the very best on the album falls short of the mark.



Make no mistake- everything that makes Brian May great is here- the stunning guitar work, the incredible arrangements and harmonies, etc. There is even some good song writing but at its best it is only "good," the reason being that Freddie Mercury, who made the songs "great" is no longer with us. Minus Freddie, Brian steps up to the mic and falls short by a long shot. On most of these songs I found myself thinking "Well, that would be incredible if Freddie was singing it." I know its not fair to hold Freddie Mercury's absence against May, since its certainly not his fault, but its still the Gods' honest truth: without Freddie, power rockers like "Business" quickly deteriorate into a poor blend of Whitesnake and Michael Bolton, turning the promise of an incredible song in to dentist office music."

Pure R&R

Cesar Cadena | Colombia | 06/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I think - like almost all Queen fans- Brian is a very underrated guitarist. Yes, there are geniuses like Vai and Satriani, let alone Petrucci and Malmsteen, but Brian is definitely one of the best. His guitar can get every feeling you can think of and he can make his own the other people's techniques; just listen to Cyborg... that tapping just takes you into space!

I first heard of this album late in 1998 after a review on the web and could only get it by downloading it. I spent almost 9 years trying to find this CD until I could finally find it in a recordstore last year(damn, how difficult this stuff is to find! but it just makes it more appreciable).

The album begins with "Space", a lullaby which acts like an intro for the album and then "Business" begins slowly but hard, a good song used for a T.V. show in Britain, I heard. Good lyrics and guitar work and hey, it's Cozy on the drums! Next track is "China Belle", which begins with a chinese-like guitar melody in the best May stile. A funny song for banging your head and jumping around your stereo set. "Why don't We Try Again", a very emotional ballad comes next, ideal if you are sad and want to blow your brains out. The next song, "On My Way Up" is for me the weak point of the album; a happy song not unheardable at all that some can find enjoyable. After this two rather soft songs comes "Cyborg", a song with a style I can not define, but still rocker, very rocker. Taylor Hawkins from Foo Fighters does a great job on the drums in this song. Check out the tapping. Jeff Becks appears in the next track, "The Guv'nor", a song May intentionally wrote to be played by Becks. Not too great though, given the size of the two guitarists, but still good. "Wilderness" is a strange ballad with a great guitar solo. You can hear sadness and emotion in it. Very good song. Here comes the cover section in which Brain pays tribute to very old classics. The first is "Slow Down" a Rock N' Roller by Larry Williams that I first heard in The Beatles version. Excellent version that, as few, can be said to be better than the original one; Brian's guitar is superb and hard in this one. Next is "One Rainy Wish" a Hendrix's song with a supernatural vibe at the beginning, as only a song by Hendrix could be, but after that, the hardness comes in a great work by Brian and Cozy, giving it a different point of view. "All the Way from Memphis" is kind of a "thank you" to Mott The Hoople, the first band Queen toured with in a decent tour in Europe and The USA. A funny and enjoyable song. The last track gives the name to the album. A sweet love ballad with a great vocal performance by Brian - sustained during the whole album - and an acoustical guitar solo, not of Brian's best, a very emotional ending to a great album, followed by a piano solo after one minute you think the song finished that I must confess, as I'm writing this, is the first time I hear it.

All in all, very recommendable for rock fans and of course, Queen fans."