Customer Reviews
The Cosmos Rocks? Yeah, it does... just a bit...! - By: A. Sweeney, 29 Nov 2008 
It is very difficult to approach this album with anything close to objectivity. I have been a big Queen fan for close to twenty years now and,in my opinion, Queen without Freddie just wasn't an option and, after Brian, Roger & John dismissed rumour after rumour of replacing him with a plethora of different front men, I thought that Queen had all but been laid to rest. Then, of course, I heard that they were touring with Paul Rodgers on vocals and, to be honest, I was slightly nonplussed & had no interestin going to see them live. However, when news came of a new studio album with brand new songs - well, now I was interested. I still object to the use of the Queen name - without Freddie & John, it is tantamount to Paul & Ringo getting together with Elvis Costello & calling themselves Beatles & Elvis Costello... and, well, it would be nothing of the sort.
Having said that, Paul is an excellent vocalist, Brian is a superb guitarist & Roger a brilliant drummer - and, between them, they have written some absolutely wonderful songsin their lifetime - so I have done my best to put aside any reservations & annoyance at them persistingin using the Queen name & give this album a fair hearing. The musicians behind this album have nothing to prove & listeners owe 'The Cosmos Rocks' a fair hearing. After all ,it's not as if Queen have a flawless back catalogue, but I do love the majority of their work, despite the one or two duds on many of their albums.
So, the album itself. Well, it's pretty good. The first couple of songs, 'Cosmos' Rockin'' & 'Time To Shine' are solid tracks, the former a straight-forward, unremarkable, near-generic rocker & the latter being slightly more likable & aesthetically pleasing. 'Still Burning' has all the hallmarks of an above average, mid-tempo, driving Brian May composition & is cheeky enough to workin a 'We Will Rock You' handclap rhythm, reminding us of who we're (supposed to be) listening to. The acoustic-guitar based ballad, 'Small', is decent enough, but very ordinary. It's the kind of track that the word "inoffensive" was born to describe & even a nice solo from Brian doesn't lift it enough. Thankfully, after an unimpressive start, we get something approaching vindication for this project - 'Warboys'. This is the first track on the album which genuinely gets the blood pumping & it rumbles & blusters along with something approaching passion & excitement.
Unfortunately, we're brought straight back down with the trite, almost painfully clichéd and, frankly, awful 'We Believe'. Although the music does a little to redeem this song, it is without doubt my least favourite track on the album. The album takes a more positive turn with 'Call Me', which is charming, catchy, gets the toes tapping & the sins of the previous song are soon forgotten. 'Voodoo' is a genuinely good track, a minor key, bluesy, soulful song with a slightly latin feel & some fine, understated guitar work from Brian. 'Some Things That Glitter' is also very laid-back, classy Brian May song & probably the best ballad on the album. 'C-lebrity' is a scathing attack at those who want to be famous for being famous & is a good song, lyrically, although nothing special, musically. 'Through The Night' is a downbeat song and, unfortunately, drags a little bit but is brought back to life with a beautiful piece of guitar work from May.
The first thing that strikes you about 'Say It's Not True' is how good it is to hear Roger Taylor & Brian May doing the lead vocals - it makes the album feel a little more like Queen than it did before that moment. It's a really lovely track too, a light, breezy track, gently pushed along by an acoustic guitar until, just over halfway through the song, it explodes into a full-blown rock song - perhaps the highlight of the album. Now if there is any track on this album that cries out for Freddie's vocals, it is 'Surf's Up... School's Out' - he could have vamped & given vocal characterization to this song it desperately needs. Paul's vocals are just a little bit flat for this powerful, stomping rocker. It's still a fine track, though. 'Small Reprise' is a nice instrumental which provides a gentle, pleasant bookend to the album.
So - 'The Cosmos Rocks'. Well, it's neither as good nor as bad as I'd hoped or feared. There are some great moments on this album, but there are also some painful ones too. There are echoes of Queen past, but this is a new incarnation of the group and, I have to say, the trio have acquitted themselves well. The Paul Rodgers songs, such as 'Warboys' & 'Voodoo' provide some of the highlights on this collection, so he has definitely added an extra, pleasing dimension to Brian & Roger's music. They haven't completely won me over. It's not Queen without Freddie, but they have proved that they can make a decent album without him. It's not exceptional, it's not terrible, it's simply good. Sometimes very good. Despite my reservations, I'm glad they made this album & I'm glad that these guys are still making music. Put it this way - I'll buy the next one if & when it comes out.
The Cosmos may rock but I'm afraid this doesn't..sadly - By: Codberg Arizona, 27 Nov 2008 
I considered myself the biggest Queen fan, saw them first as a support group to Mott the Hoople backin 74 or 75. I have every album released (and a few never officially released!). Even bought the back catalogue on Hollywood records after Freddies death because of all the bonus tracks that never made it onto EMI records. I have even bought all the solo projects
I really can't articulate how disappointed I am with this album.
Guns & Roses continue to be GNR without Slash (Chinese Democracy is superb) but I'm afraid just like Freddie, Queen are no more...
Not as bad as some say... - By: Danny, 08 Nov 2008 
I admit to being a great fan of Freddie & the boys, so I was a bit funny about Roger & Brian restarting something called Queen, but on the other hand I am really pleased that they decided to go back to touring.
This isn't "old" Queenin any real sense. Several of the tracks are naff to the point of being criminal (which "old" Queen album doesn't have a couple of those?). Its clear that the creative & writing talent has definitely moved on - Freddie & John wrote nearly all the big Queen hits & it shows. And you feel that Brian's hard rock influence has been watered down a little too much. Given the choice of more of this or a Brian May solo effort, I would probably pick Brian every time.
But after all that, if you take out the crud, this is a listenable & entertaining outing, & will stay on my mp3 player for some time.
Love this album! - By: Alexandra Ciucu, 07 Nov 2008 
The long awaited Queen + Paul Rodgers studio album has totally surpassed my expectations. It's a high-quality piece of work & I enjoy listening a lot to tracks such as We Believe, Call Me, C-Lebrity or Time To Shine. I recommend it to all Queen fans & Paul Rodgers fans!
If Queen Can Move on Why Can't the Fans?! - By: S. Lornie, 05 Nov 2008 This album is classic rock at it's best. Queen & Paul Rodgers let rip on this record doing when rockbands should be doing.
The album is full of great rockin numbers & some nice ballads. The guitar solo's are excellent, vocals are as good as everything Paul releases & the rest of the band sound great.
The only reason you'll hear a bad thing about this album is because Brian & Rodger continue to use the Queen name. I think they should. It was their band that sadly lost a singer so they moved on (thank god). Just a shame their narrow minded fans can't!
