Brian May - Back to the Light

Awesome!

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. August 20, 2008

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

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." July 7, 2008

Awesome Live

I have been looking for this CD for a long time. I used to have the cassette, but wore it out long ago. I saw Brian May open for Guns N Roses in 1993. He put on an awesome show and this CD was great. I have too have wondered why his solo career never took off. I guess it is all about radio and MTV. The songs on this album for the most part just rock. Great driving music. October 25, 2007

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

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. September 27, 2007

Masterful May!

Those who really know Brian May's music know that he has never been into pure shredding or full-throttle metal busting. He is an accomplished rock guitarist, sure, but also a true artist, an extraordinaire musician and a bright individual. So said, though he does deliberately play his guitar all along this release, he is always as concise-but-tasteful as about what soloing concerns - excepting the explosive "Resurrection", where May overplays as he rarely does. Certainly, all the songs here are guitar-enriched enough to please guitar freaks (like I am), but they are also listenable and enjoyable, from the thunderous "Back to the light" to the delicious "Love Token", the tender "Nothing But Blue" and the driving "Rolling Over".

Of course, his signature "wall of guitars" of thick harmonies is present all along the album, as well as his hard-rocking riffs and his unique, razor-sharp, singing lead tone. But as usually, his music is more about depth and songwriting than just plain "axe banging", the same than in any good Queen album - in its own right, of course. In fact, if this album was branded like another Queen album, I bet that only very few people would complain. Even the choirs remind Queen- they are so FAT in "Resurrection"! Ok, May never was a true frontman like Mercury was. His vocals are much softer than Mercury's, but he does a superb job on them anyway - including on his version of "Too much love will kill you" here, which is superbly interpreted IMHO. The lyricism, finesse and good taste Queen always had are equally present on this release, track after track. This truly rocks for good!

Thus, if true AOR had a flagship, perhaps it would be this album. "Back to the Light" simply is a soulful piece of art coming from a middle-aged artist, who is revealing many of his intimacies in the best way he is able to: just songs. All the arrangements are interesting, well-tempered, mature and sophisticated, as you would expect from a rock icon of May's calibre. What else do I have to say? A coherent masterwork, sober but with attitude, classy and musically clever, and all that without sacrificing power and ear friendliness at the same time. I say then to the artist: Mr. Brian May, thank you for this wonderful set of pieces. You've given me so many good moments in my life! And to the rest of you: you're missing something if you don't have this yet. No less than a five stars release, really. Go buy it now! October 16, 2006

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