Brian May - Another World

Here's a reissue of the long out of print second solo album from Queen guitarist Brian May, originally released in 1998. In a short liner notes blurb May says, "It seems perhaps that in 2022 we ARE in another world, but if it's not quite the world we asked for perhaps we can still reach that perfect world...in our dreams." Fans who've dreamed of this album for more than two decades can now wake up and rock out with an excellent set that kicks off, after a brief ethereal moment called "Space," with the chugging radio-ready rocker "Business" where May includes a little "Queen-style" guitar here and there. The clever lyric "she's a little bit of heaven and a whole lot of hell" from "China Belle" will have some fans picturing a particular woman they know; here they can relive their experience with her in a fun light, singing along and emphasizing the above line. "Why Don't We Try Again" is the album's quiet and reflective moment; the melancholy cut is so Queen-like that you can just hear Freddie Mercury singing it and May sounds a lot like Mercury at points. Journeyman drummer Cozy Powell pounds out the rhythm on much of the album but the late Taylor Hawkins is behind the kit on "Cyborg," a cut with a futuristic bent where May plays some of the fastest guitar of the album and with an overall feeling that makes it easy to picture the cover of Queen's News of the World. Most of Another World was written by May including the great sing-along that is "The Guv'nor" but there are a couple of notable covers too including a sublime take on the Jimi Hendrix chestnut "One Rainy Wish." Also featured is a take on the Mott the Hoople favorite, the Ian Hunter-penned "All the Way from Memphis." Wrapping up the 12-song effort is a cut that really shows off May's vocals, the understated and orchestrated title cut "Another World." Pressed on 180 gram heavyweight black vinyl.