The album I just finished
Guns'n'Roses: Chinese Democracy
In a nutshell: good!
I was actually really pleased w/ this album for what it was. Seventeen years have passed since the Use Your Illusion albums. I expected the general 'sound' of the album to differ and it did and in a good way. Some may argue that point, but, bottom line is it would have been really hard to keep the classic G'n'R sound for many reasons, including band member changes and the evolving state of metal / hard rock. I think it would have been a mistake to even attempt to emulate the 'old' sound. It would have drew too many unfair comparisons to iconic singles release by the early G'n'R.
The album as a whole is actually a pretty impressive showcase of songwriting prowess and production quality. The songs on this album show a wide variety of styles; ballads, blues, traditional rock, modern rock, etc. I think that you would be hard up to find someone who absolutely hates EVERY song on the album unless you don't like Axl's voice, which is probably the only constant on all these tracks. As for Axl's voice, I think it held up pretty well (or post-production vocal enhancements were executed perfectly). Axl has found a nice balance of being a lyricist and an instrument. There are some impressive vocal acrobatics on this album. For example, a vocal melody that seamlessly transitions into guitar feedback in a way that complements the track. The overall sound definitely has a lot of modern rock elements, done to good effect, but at its heart you always are reminded that it is still G'n'R. I should also note that many of the songs are pretty complex, and if you pay attention it can take you on a mini musical journey at times. Also those Buckethead riffs and solo's will grab any listener's attention.
A couple gripes, but not to say these detracted from the album. The production value is so high on this album you really lose the feel that the older G'n'R albums had that was a little more raw and unrehearsed. It also seemed that the songs we less 'hooky', no real memorable riffs that I can recall. Maybe that will change if i listen to the album a couple more times. The album as whole did not seem cohesive, moving from one songs musical idea to another without any sense of flow.
But all in all a good effort. Was it worth 17 years and $13 million? Sure why not, its not my time and money. Will I play it over and over again on my iPod? No, but I don't really do that with any album. I listened, I appreciated, I blogged and now I'm done.
