Queen drummer/British singer Roger Taylor has released a new album entitled Outsider. The themes are love and the journey through life.
The music is Rock. The album parallels the works of Queen, Cat Stevens, The Bee Gees, and The Beatles, and it gives a nostalgic feel. The song Gangsters Are Running This World parallels the music of the Queen hit I’m Going Slightly Mad. The musical styles are diverse and rich in sounds, and the songs have a mix of old-school and modern. The tunes Tides and I Know I Know I Know remind me of Cat Stevens(aka Yusuf Islam) ‘s classic hits from the 70s. The piece Absolutely Anything has a similar beat to the How Deep Is Your Love song by The Bee Gees. The guitar and the drums add an incredible dynamic to the record. More Kicks (Long Day’s Journey Into Night… Life) has a hardcore rock sound. Foreign Sand (English Mix) and Gangsters Are Running This World (Purple Version) have a modern/contemporary sound combined with the 70s/80s music. The compositions are impressive and dynamic.
Roger Taylor’s voice is husky and bold, singing with heart and soul, and his vocal style is rich and intricate. There’s a fantastic duet with KT Tunstall in the track We’re All Just Trying To Get By.
The lyrics are thought-provoking and relevant. The album has an emotional depth to it- feels personal. The songs are well-written, covering the diverse subject matter.
There are symbolic songs with profound poetry, expressing the various raw emotions felt during lockdown/quarantine and the different stages of life. Here are the pieces: Tides Gangsters Are Running This World, Outsider, Foreign Sand (English Mix), Journey’s End, We’re All Just Trying To Get By (KT Tunstall), The Clapping Song and More Kicks (Long Day’s Journey Into Night… Life). The first example is Gangsters Are Running This World that expresses a particular fear of where the world is heading. The second example is We’re All Just Trying To Get By is a powerful piece about survival. There is an incredible depth to these pieces and intricate symbolism. Other songs cover the struggles of lockdown, such as Isolation, which is straightforward. The romantic piece is Absolutely Anything is a profound one, full of pure love.
The record covers life (the many stages) and lockdown primarily with a well-written style, expressive and rich in feeling and compassion.
The album Outsider is available.
