Other than a very limited exposure to this album, I know next to nothing of the music on the Guns N' Roses album, "Chinese Democracy". And while I understand that some have dismissed this album based solely on it being more of an Axl solo project, I guess my reason for having not played it is just that I've never been the biggest Guns N' Roses fan. I've always liked them, I'm just not a fanatic or anything. And yet, I thought it would be fun to listen through this album, try to put any biases I have about the album aside, and listen to the songs with an open mind. Who knows, I might even like it.
The title track opens the album, and to be honest, I really like. It has a classic GNR vibe, but it comes off sounding fresh, and new. Axl sounds absolutely fantastic here, and the music is damned good. I think that we're off to a great start here. Listening to this track, I'm wondering why I ever let the masses decide my enjoyment of an album for me. This is a really good song.
"Shackler's Revenge" starts off with a bit of a slower, sluggish kind of groove, before moving into a middle of the road rocker, with a really catchy chorus. There is some really fantastic guitar work on this track (especially that guitar solo!), and once again, Axl sounds really good to my ears. This is just the type of rock that I really enjoy. I wonder if this album were written by a different band if it would have been received a lot better than it was.
The album's third track, "Better" is the first time I kind of wonder what the band were going for here. The intro was very strange. However, once we get into the song, it's actually not bad at all. A more melodic rocker, but since when are GNR strangers to writing a good melodic rock tune? As the song progresses, Axl really begins to belt out the vocals as only he can. A nice Axl screech, and a really nice guitar solo really sets this song up to be a favorite on the disc for me.
I'm a sucker for a few things in my music: Piano, strings, and a nice ballad. "Street of Dreams" seems to have all of that. And while I'm not sure how I feel about the vocals in places, I really enjoy this song. The intro moves into a big of a harder edge, but still remains a very melodically driven song. The music is quite beautifully written, and the vocal melodies are pretty pleasing for the most part. Like I said, there's just some strange patches on the verses that I'm not sure about. This is a very nice song.
"If the World" is a strange little oddity from the start. It's like some sort of latin, disco, funk, symphonic hybrid. I'm not sure if I really like this one. I appreciate that the band were trying something, but to me, I don't think that this song works. And while we get some guitar to kick in and accentuate the verses, and it does pick up the pace a bit, I'm still not a big fan of this one. I do enjoy Axl's vocals here, and the lyrics are pretty good. I'm just not thrilled with the music here. Maybe repeated listens? Maybe the fast forward button? Only time will tell, I guess.
I was prepared to not like "There Was A Time" after hearing the first few moments of the song. However, I was pleasantly surprised to hear this one progress. It ends up being a nice symphonic/melodic rocker. There is so much great music being played here (and those strings are absolutely beautiful!), that its near seven minutes seem to pass by far too quickly. This is an epic track, with vocals, and instruments really crafting something that I would put next to "Coma" in my favorite GNR songs list. I'm glad I didn't skip this after that intro. Maybe I was just waiting for it to be another "If the World". I'm glad that it wasn't. I can see coming back to this one a lot in the future.
"Catcher In the Rye" is another melodically driven tune. The piano, the guitar, and Axl's warbling in the intro lead into the song very nicely. The vocals really work well with the music here. And that guitar melody is really fantastic. It has an almost 70's rock vibe with it at times. If Axl weren't singing, I could hear any number of classic rock bands perform this one. This is another track that I could see becoming a favorite. From the piano, to the vocals, to the guitar solo, I love it all. As I've said, I really enjoy the more melodically driven songs, and this track has that in spades.
"Scraped" starts off with an acapella section that don't really seem to be necessary to the track, at least to my ears. What this section feeds into is a lot harder, and faster than the really strange intro. And while this song isn't necessarily bad, I feel like it might have been more of an after-thought. I guess a lot of albums have some filler, and this track certainly feels just like filler. The vocals in the chorus are okay, but there's not much that I'm going to remember here. It's not bad, it's not great, it's just... there.
"Riad N' the Bedouins" sort of had my attention right from the beginning. It starts off sort of atmospheric, and builds up to the full band cacophony, with more warbling from Axl. This one sounds to me like it could hang with any of the "Use Your Illusion" tracks. It's a rocker, and a lot of fun. Some really cool guitar stuff going on here, and Axl sounds in fine form for this one. The solo section has an excellent bass guitar line just below the surface, which I really enjoy. I like this song. I wouldn't say it's a favorite, but it's definitely a good track.
That brings us up to the tenth track, "Sorry". Initial impression is that this is going to be a slow tempo, ballad song. What we get here is Axl singing sweetly over some guitars, and drums. In my opinion, his vocals really shine on this type of song. It's not that I don't think he sings great on the heavier tracks, but the vibe that he helps create with the music is really cool. The melodies of both instrument, and voice work very well together. I could see this one being the type of song that would bring out the lighters at a live show. Or at the very least, the lighter app on any smart phone, or handheld mobile device. I could see this song making my favorites list from this album, very easily. "Sorry" would have been a great way to end the album, so I guess we'll see if the remaining four songs deserve their placement on this disc. I'm thinking at the very least the album should have been re-sequenced with this at the end.
The next two tracks are the only two songs I knew from this album before coming into this. "IRS" is up first, and I always liked this song. To me, it's classic Guns N' Roses, though I can't help but wonder what it would have sounded like with the classic band in tow. I really like it. Some great guitar work here, and Axl really seems to turn in a great performance here. I know I talk about vocal melody a lot here, but to me, a good vocal melody is very important to a song, and I really like Axl's vocals here. They really compliment the music nicely.
"Madagascar" is next, and it's another melodic rocker, with lots of strings, and plenty of guitar to go around. Axl sings with passion, and to me, it really helps to propel the song to something special. And although there are moments that I think could have been cut to make this song a bit shorter, and damned near perfect, this is really a pretty song, musically, that builds up to an amazing conclusion, and is another of my early favorites from this disc.
"This I Love" really feels like an "Empire" era Queensryche song to start. There are moments that Axl almost sounds like Geoff Tate. And while that's not necessarily a bad thing, I'm not sure how well it works here. I love the strings, the piano, and the vocals, but I'm not sure how well it works for this album. It's almost like a Disney song at times. I give props to Axl for writing, and performing this, but it just feels wrong here. There's a really cool guitar solo, but for me, even it doesn't seem to quite fit. Maybe I just need to play this one a few more times? Who knows?
And just like that, we reach the end of this disc, with a title that feels totally GNR, "Prostitute". The song kicks off as more of a full on ballad, but has moments of pure rock. I think that the interplay between the ballad sections, and the rock sections are really cool. And the strings that run throughout are just beautiful. This is the kind of melodic rocker that I really enjoy. At this point, I'm fine with this being the album closer. I think it sums this disc up perfectly. Strings, guitars, Axl's style of vocals, and plenty of rock to round out the album. I know it's early, but this may well be one of my favorite Guns N' Roses song. I really enjoyed this song. What a fantastic first impression.
And there you have it folks. Do you agree with me on most of this, or any of this at all I somehow doubt it. But overall, I really enjoyed "Chinese Democracy". Does it have a chance in hell of living up to the Slash era Guns N' Roses albums? For many, no. But for me, I like it just as much as all of those album. I think it might have been something really special if fans had listened to it with more of an open mind. Unfortunately at this point, I think most people's minds are made up. And if you are one of those people that don't mind giving something another chance, I suggest giving this album another spin. You just might like what you hear.
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