Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Album Review: Guns N Roses - Chinese Democracy (FINALLY!)

The most anticipated album in music is finally released, and there are tons of opinions. So here's one more. Open that free Dr. Pepper and let's get going!

I should start by establishing the obvious aspects of this 14-years-in-the-making album: yes, there have been so many delays and legal battles that the collaborating artist roster is more then ten people. Yes, the album's trials and tribulations in trying to be released has made it something of a joke with the public at large. Yes, Axl Rose cannot possibly hit the same notes that he could in 1989. These things are true, and as a result there are many reviews that are trashing the sixth release under the Guns N Roses banner. However, the third of those obvious aspects is the one that actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Chinese Democracy: Axl's new voice fits in perfectly with the album, which while not being exactly like their material from the 90s is still listenable: in fact, it's downright enjoyable.

From the onset of the title track, it's obvious that the days of unrivaled screeching have passed the 46 year-old by. In the earlier songs, he makes the mistake of attempting to cover this up by singing in a deeper voice. The result is a voice that sounds like Chef from South Park singing over the Buckethead/Robin Finck/Bumblefoot riffs. This is less than enjoyable.

But after the first two songs drag down the album's momentum, "Better" and particularly "Street of Dreams" show off Guns N Roses' real skill, the one that has shown itself more in "November Rain" than in "Welcome to the Jungle": the epic, dramatic song. There are several songs that fit into this category besides "Street of Dreams": "Catcher in the Rye," "This I Love," "Sorry," and "There Was a Time" all show the strength of the album and the style that Axl's new voice perfectly complements.

They can still rock it hard as they do in "I.R.S." and "Riad n’ the Bedouins," but the songs mentioned above are more important to the album's overall ebb and flow. It's the rock songs you headbang to in your car, but it's the slow songs you remember, and it's the slow songs that make Chinese Democracy a good album.

Most of the other familiar components from Guns N Roses have returned. No matter who the guitarist is, the riffs and solos are amazing, and there is absolutely no need for Axl to offer an olive branch to Slash because he's not missing anything in the new product. Every solo perfectly fits the song, and the riffs are memorable and hard to shake.

What's more surprising than the vocals to me is that Axl Rose delivers pretty admirably on the lyrics of the album as well, for the most part. Besides the pedestrian lyrics in "Chinese Democracy" and "Shackler's Revenge," Axl fills his songs with accessible lyrics that pull on the listener, especially in songs like "Prostitute," "Madagascar," and "Sorry." I picked up the album merely expecting to be blown away by the music, but the overall emotional pull of the songs ended up making an impact on me as well.

The fact that this album is fourteen years in the making can be seen in two ways: that Axl had a long time to get it right, or that he couldn't possibly live up to expectations over the years. Well, with this release, I think the former is much more accurate than the latter.

Scoring:

Replayability: (19/20) There are way too many good songs on this album to be bogged down by the slow start. The solos warrant more listens, the lyrics warrant more listens.

Music: (20/20) There are so many good solos on this album that I can't name them all. There isn't really much more that the guitarists could've done on this album.

Lyrics: (16/20) Not the strongest suit of the album, but some of the songs have some surprisingly insightful lyrics from the man who is most known for spitting on fans and screeching "YOU GONNA DIE!"

Completeness: (15/20) From track 3 on it's a smooth ride, but the beginning really slows everything down. It's almost too much to recover from, but the rest of the album is complete enough to save this score.

Emotional Pull: (17/20) This is also a surprising score, especially since when I think Guns N Roses I think more about my speakers being blown that my heartstrings being tugged. But through his identifiable lyrics and newly-minted croaking voice, he is able to convey a lot of pain in some of the more depressing songs.

Total Score: 87

Grade: B+

A very solid effort for a band that hasn't made music since George H.W. Bush was president. There are plans that this album will be the first part of a trilogy, and it will be interesting to see how this album leads into the next.

Check, Check Plus, X:

Chinese Democracy √
Shackler’s Revenge X
Better √+
Street of Dreams √+
If the World √
There Was a Time √+
Catcher in the Rye √+
Scraper √
Riad n’ the Bedouins √
Sorry √+
I.R.S. √
Madagascar √+
This I Love √+
Prostitute √+


This week is a big week of albums, and I will have a fresh copy of Kanye's album in my hands by tomorrow. I'll get the review up when I get a chance.

Sit tight til the next grade,
RRC

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