Queen + Paul Rodgers
The Cosmos Rocks

Once upon a time, there was a band, a band never too appreciated by critics, which made a naive thirteen-year-old discover that music was not just Spears, Pausini & Ramazzotti; this band made me discover the magic of rock, with a series of albums that irreversibly changed my life: the ambiguous and dreamy charm of "Queen," the monumental theatricality of the rock opera "Queen II," the myriad contradictions of "Sheer Heart Attack," the vibrant colors of "A Night At The Opera" and the more subtle ones of "A Day At The Races," the sonic cocktail of "News Of The World," and the somewhat defiant rock of "Jazz." Certainly, I expected nothing similar from this return; those Queen are definitively dead in 1978 and buried in 1980, but "The Cosmos Rocks" remains a beautiful album that absolutely deserves the name printed on the cover. We're certainly not at the level of "Innuendo," but it can surely be considered, in its own right, as the second best album of the Queen of Rock from the '80s to today.

And so, the Queen are back, the show goes on without bassist John Deacon, who retired to private life, with the indomitable Brian May & Roger Taylor, who have finally come to their senses after a good 15 years of greatest hits, collections, compilations, and endless nonsense, and indeed with a new singer: Paul Rodgers; I confess I would have liked to see Queen with James LaBrie or, why not, with our Fabio Lione, but Rodgers is a monster: he has charisma, stage presence, multi-decade experience in the rock world, a stunning voice and, importantly, he manages to impart his imprint and personal style to the entire album with the enthusiasm of a youngster and the seasoned skill of an old fox, without trying to imitate Freddie Mercury.

The album: thirteen songs that express all the skill and class of these three wonderful musicians: it immediately starts with a driving arena anthem: "Cosmos Rockin," with the Queen of guitars, the legendary Red Special, roaring once again: it's the force of rock spreading virally and eventually conquering the whole universe. The rock side of this dazzling comeback is well represented by the raucous and pressing "Still Burnin," which references "We Will Rock You" at the end, in the single "C-lebrity," with an opening riff that wouldn't look out of place on an AC/DC record and an almost psychedelic chorus (sung by Roger Taylor) that is truly unexpected, and in the very particular and fascinating "Surf's Up... School's Out!," filled with electronics and vocal effects making it an unprecedented chapter in the history of Queen, with the Taylor-Rodgers vocal bounce adding further value to the song that I consider the album's real gem.

Light-hearted and high-class pop is instead "Call Me," vaguely reggae, vaguely '80s, very fun, and a pleasure to whistle along to, I assure you... Also beautiful is the oriental and captivating "Time To Shine," in which Rodgers delivers a performance nothing short of superlative, of course in a Queen album, ballads cannot be missing: the already known "Say It's Not True," which gives me goosebumps on every listen: plaintive orchestral arrangements, Roger Taylor's unmistakable voice, Brian May's arpeggios, and then the Red Special transforms the song into a poignant anthem that touches and makes you reflect, as does the sweet and dreamy "Some Things That Glitter": a beautiful piano line, quintessentially Queenish choruses in the refrain, and Paul Rodgers enchanting with his magnetic voice. The epic "We Believe," is also breathtaking, a heart-pounding gallop exploding in a chorus of great impact and epicness, with the usual Red Special reigning supreme. Almost in contrast, there's also "Small," a semi-acoustic ballad displaying for the first time an unusual intimacy for a band accustomed to enchanting vast audiences. The marvelous refrain and arpeggio of this wonder are then revisited at the end of the album, ensuring a closure that nearly moved me at the first listening.

The album rating would be 4 stars because songs like "Warboy," "Voodoo," and "Through The Night" are pretty lousy (the first two in particular), but they are episodes that can do little to quell my enthusiasm for the great comeback of a band that not only can but must continue to exist (even Freddie would agree with me, I'm more than sure), at least as long as it's able to deliver emotions like these. Thank you, Brian, thank you, Roger, thank you, Paul, and above all, thank you, Queen; a band I will never stop loving.