Search - Brian May :: Back to the Light

Brian May - An Underated Album That Most Queen Fans Would En

Steven Sly | Kalamazoo, MI United States | 09/27/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Brian May is best known as the guitarist for Queen. After Freddie Mercury's death May decided to try his hand at a solo career. The result was this album. The album did not sell all that well, which is a pity because it is very good and I would think most Queen fans would really enjoy it. Similar to Queen, May's solo album is very eclectic with a wide range of musical styles represented. May's voice is certainly not in the same league as Mercury, but it is pleasant enough and fits the material well. As always his guitar playing is top notch. The majority of the album was written and performed with the late great Cozy Powell (Rainbow, ELP, Black Sabbath) on drums and his influence is all over this disc. May was going through a rough period in his life dealing with a divorce and the death of several people close to him (including Mercury). The lyrics reflect what he was going through at the time. Highlights include The Dark / Back To The Light, a bombastic rocker about loss and redemption. Resurrection is another crunching rock track. Driven By You was the single from the disc. Too Much Love Will Kill you is an incredible song especially in the wake of Mercury's death. Nothing But Blue is May's take on the blues. Let You're Heart Rule Your Head will remind you of 39 from Queen's Night At The Opera album. Just One Life is another melancholy track about loss. The album closes with a rocking cover of Rollin Over. There are a few weak spots on the disc, but overall I have always liked this one a lot. I would think just about anyone into Queen would also enjoy this disc."

"Everything I do, I'm driven by you"

take403 | 07/07/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I had originally wrote this review on April 24, 2005 and decided to include it in my current profile.



This album has great songs all the way through, but has me wondering: "How come Brian May's solo career wasn't more successful?" Brian May was, after all, Queen's best musician. Yes, Freddie Mercury had the best voice and was the band's showman, Roger Taylor was a great drummer had a unique talent of hitting the high notes and John Deacon was a great bass player and wrote great songs (Queen was indeed a team). However, Brian May's guitar parts defined Queen's sound and he had a gift for making different sounds off his custom-made Red Special guitar that only he could come up with. "Dark" is a lullaby prelude "We will rock you, rock you, rock you," Brian sweetly sings before his guitar takes over and literally wakes you up. "Back to the Light" is the title track and sounds a little like "Play the Game." "Love Token" is a bluesy rocker, whose happy-go-lucky melody belies a tale of marital infidelity, followed by the spiritual rocker "Resurrection," which features the late Cozy Powell on drums. The best song is perhaps the melancholy "Too Much Love Will Kill You" (which Queen would actually record and include on Made In Heaven), followed by the minour hit "Driven by You" (it was actually used in an automobile advert in the UK). "Nothing But Blue" was written around the time Brian's musical partner Freddie was very ill near the final days of his life, and features John Deacon on bass. "I'm Scared" is a tongue in cheek rocker "I'm scared of finding myself, I'm scared of losing myself..." and the list of Brian's personal horrors goes on. "Last Horizon" is a beautiful sounding instrumental. "Let Your Heart Rule Your Head" is a laid back country-style song, much in the mold of "39" from A Night at the Opera. "Just One Life" is an ode to another person Brian admired. It all ends with the Small Faces' "Rolling Over" before Brian reprises the "We will rock you" intro to close it off. There is speculation that much of this album would have found itself on a Queen album, had Freddie been around at this time. The only clue Brian gives to that is a list of acknowledgements including "the sorely missed Freddie Mercury.""

Awesome!

Miguel Angel Lopez Loredo | Mexico | 08/20/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Brian May is, of course, one of the greatest rock gutarists - This record took an extensive amount of time to be completed and you can notice that in every song.



There are records to play in background when a visit comes to your house, with that background music you can chat, eat, or whattever. - But there are some records to listen with plenty of attention, and this is one of them.



The poweful sound that Brian creates takes you into a real musical roallercoaster, as he does with Queen music.



This record it's a must have for the Queen and Brian's fans. But also, for general musical lovers, it's a true piece of genuine rock, with that Brian May trademark."