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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The BEST Queen solo album yet!, April 30, 2000
Taylor has never been one to stick with the traditional "Queen sound" and that's never been more obvious than with "Electric Fire".Filled with political, social lyrics (and yes, some lighter fare) Roger goes for broke here."A Nation of Haircuts" (a not so good title which Roger loves to come up with) is, on it's surface, an all out rocker but upon deeper inspection is really his take on England and it's people's vanity, as if they're more concerned with how they look than what they're capable of accomplishing ("We don't make ships and we don't make cars but we look real good hanging out in bars.") Funny because it's so true."Surrender" is easily the best track. Taylor, in a duet with the silky voiced Treana Morris (which is perfect contrast to his husky, rough "rock" voice) tackles spousal abuse from a first person point of view, at least in the chorus which they strongly proclaim "You can't hurt me now!""People On Streets" (which was the original title for the Queen hit "Under Pressure") targets celebrities politicians who have lost touch with reality and the common folk (ranging from Madonna to the President) all done in a middle east style beat.The almost required Beatles/related cover comes in the form of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero". Not a spectacular version of a song which you'd kind of hope for since this song has been recorded by so many other artists and you'd want it to stand out of the crowd.OK, I'm not going to go song by song here as I think you're getting a decent idea of the quality of the album. Taylor has made a mark for himself with his solo works, letting the world know that he has his own style outside of Queen. He continues to move forward, recording music that you'd never expect (unlike counterpart Brian May, who seems content with living in his musical past.)"Electric Fire" could very well have been titled "Eclectic Fire" as he throws everything from spanish accoustic guitars to middle east rythms. This is by far the most daring Queen solo work and I recommend it highly.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth the cost!, September 19, 2000
I know, it is a shame that this CD is only available in the more costly import version. Why the record company has not released this in the usa is beyond me. It's a great collection of songs that will surprise Queen fans whether they are already familiar with RT's solo stuff or not. It's not like most of roger's songs with queen. I would liken this music to good bowie or even peter gabriel. Very polished and beautifully produced with intelligent lyrics, sharp instrumentals and tight percussion. Never does the music become routine or boring and all the songs have meaning. The best songs in my opinion are "pressure on", "nation of haircuts" and "surrender". I think surrender is one of the finest songs to come out of the decade of the 90s. It's that good and it is a shame more people have not been exposed to it. "The whisperers" is a gorgeous song and "london town" will get you up and moving. The only song i tend to skip over is the cover of lennon's "working class hero". I just don't think lennon's suicidal, bi-polar songs are a good fit for roger. I like "fun in space" and "strange frontiers" but i like this CD much better and listen to it as much as any in my collection. ...........socks
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hitting home, January 29, 2007
Excluding the fact that Roger Taylor has one of the most beautiful voices to listen to, this cd definitely came from a part of him that he never really shared before. Much of the lyrics on this cd come from his personal experiences. One would not know this unless they were true Queen fans, or lived in England (I'm the former). This cd makes you feel as if he has opened up to you in a way that most artists can't. An absolute must for RMT fans.
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