Name: Back to the Light
Brand: Source Interlink***
SKU: 23435236
Price: 6.12 USD
Availability: InStock

Performer Notes

Personnel: Brian May (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Chris Thompson (vocals); Mike Moran (piano, keyboards); Don Airey (keyboards); John Deacon, Neil Murray, Gary Tibbs (bass); Cozy Powell, Geoff Dugmore (drums); Miriam Stockley, Maggie Ryder, Suzie O'List, Gill O'Donovan (background vocals).
Engineers include: J. Shirley-Smith, Alan Douglas, Brian Zellis.
Includes liner notes by Brian May.
As the guitarist for Queen, Brian May helped define that group's grand, almost operatic gestures. The trademark touches he brought to Queen's music--the massed sections of baroque multi-tracked strings, the burnished electric timbre and his keen lyric focus--are well-represented by BACK TO THE LIGHT. Of particular note is the title tune, which should remind old fans of classic Queen, even in the vocals. Likewise, on the lush Freddie Mercury-styled classical ballad "Too Much Love Will Kill You" and the protoboogie of "Resurrection," where May employs Cozy Powell's big rolling drum beat, walls of vocal chorales, distorted strings, and a high-flying lead line to supercharge his tale of renewal.
Elsewhere, May enunciates a classic vision of the hard rock radio anthem. The crushing riffs and vocal one-upmanship of "Love Token" are reminiscent of Meat Loaf's big battle of the sexes gestures, while on "I'm Scared" May's mock-humorous insecurity finds release in a hard rocking power pop arrangement. For the slow dancers among us, the lazy backbeat and mournful nostalgia of "Nothing But Blue" and the fluid leads of the instrumental "Last Horizon" lend a contrasting touch of grace.
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 Queen'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 Queen-like multi-tracked vocals. References to Queen 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 Queen'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 May 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

Album: Back to the Light
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Dark, The
2)	Back to the Light
3)	Love Token
4)	Resurrection
5)	Too Much Love Will Kill You
6)	Driven by You
7)	Nothin' But Blue
8)	I'm Scared [Justin's Mix '92]
9)	Last Horizon
10)	Let Your Heart Rule Your Head
11)	Just One Life
12)	Rollin' Over

Album: Back to the Light
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Dark, The
2)	Back to the Light
3)	Love Token
4)	Resurrection
5)	Too Much Love Will Kill You
6)	Driven by You
7)	Nothin' But Blue
8)	I'm Scared [Justin's Mix '92]
9)	Last Horizon
10)	Let Your Heart Rule Your Head
11)	Just One Life
12)	Rollin' Over