QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS
Return of the Champions
Hollywood Records 2005
www.queenonline.com

What’s the 4-1-1?
Freddie Mercury is dead. John Deacon is gone. But still, Brian May and Roger Taylor have decided to continue performing under the Queen moniker. Their new singer? Legendary Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers. Return Of The Champions is a live album that the new version of the band recorded on its European tour.

Genre
Rock / hard rock / progressive / arena / classic rock

The Good
I LOVE Queen. I LOVE Paul Rodgers. When I heard this album was coming out, I was counting down the days - for a matter of months. And when I heard the result of my months of waiting, I was in rock and roll heaven. May and Taylor are the same instrumental geniuses they were three decades ago. Paul Rodgers singing the songs gives them a new feeling that is VERY good. He's not trying to be Freddie Mercury - he's just kicking back, having a good time singing these songs. It shows through in spades - the guy can still sing with the best of 'em!

Much like his Queen comrades, age hasn't done anything to his voice - He sounds just as good as he did on the Bad Company debut! The tracklist, spanning two CDs, features mostly Queen songs, as well as a few old Rodgers hits spanning his own career. The production quality of the disc is solid, too. From start to finish, this is neo-classic rock the way it was meant to be heard. By far my favorite album of 2005!

The Bad
The album isn't bad by any means, the biggest problem is that people aren't going to give it a chance. So many people feel that Freddie Mercury WAS Queen, and as such, they aren't willing to give another singer a chance. The poor, deluded fools. As such, it's unlikely the true genius of this album will ever fully be realized. The absence of John Deacon is another kick in the teeth.

Also, the tracklist is far too intensive on the band's inferior eighties material. There should have been more of the band's early seventies songs represented here. "Radio Ga Ga" and "I Want To Break Free" instead of "Great King Rat" and "Ogre Battle!?" Give me a break! My last complaint is with the version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" displayed here. The band uses the pre-recorded vocals from the classic studio version. Why couldn't they just do the whole thing live? I appreciate the reprise of Mercury's voice, but still, this kind of thing doesn't belong on a live album (although I hear it plays out better on the live DVD). It's not a bad album at all - I just wish some of these issues had been prevented.

The Verdict
Overall, this is a damn good album. By far, it is my favorite album of 2005. I can understand the Mercury loyalists and their frustration, but those people really need to open their minds and broaden their horizons. Give the album a chance, and you may be pleasantly surprised. No fan of Paul Rodgers should be disappointed with this album - I know I wasn't. Highly recommended!

Did You Know?
When Paul Rodgers left Bad Company in the early eighties after six albums, he recorded a little-known solo album called Cut Loose. On this album, he played EVERY INSTRUMENT! Not long after, he joined forces with former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and they had a short-lived band called The Firm.

Rating: out of 5

--Darth Kommissar