MADE IN HEAVEN

When it seemed that the Queen story had come to an end after the passing of Freddie Mercury in 1991, four years later Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon regrouped to record "Made in Heaven" (1995), the band's fifteenth and final album. A work of poignant sentimental as well as musical value, it is the result of a decision by the surviving members of Queen to share Mercury's posthumous vocal recordings with the public, combined with tracks that for various reasons were never released, others released in different arrangements, and previous solo initiatives.

A permanent halo of melancholy and sense of loss surrounds the work, very present in tracks like the delicate "It's a Beautiful Day" (taken from the recording sessions of 1980's "The Game"), the lilting "Made in Heaven" (adapted from Mercury's 1985 solo album "Mr. Bad Guy") and the very dark "Mother Love" (the last track Mercury was able to record but May had to complete vocally). A lot of emotion also with the gospel "Let Me Live", the beautiful "My Life Has Been Saved" (B-side of the single "Scandal" from 1989's "The Miracle") and the thunderous ballad "Too Much Love Will Kill You" (from May's 1992 solo album "Back to the Light").

Some of the enthusiasm that Mercury always conveyed, however, can be found in the radiant, rocking version of "I Was Born To Love You" ("Mr. Bad Guy") and the dance pop "You Don't Fool Me" adorned by May's magnificent and hurtful guitar solo. And the peaceful and elegant "A Winter's Tale" (the last song composed by Mercury) is the step before the reprise of "Its a Beautiful Day" concludes the album.

As a curiosity, for the Cd version, a relaxing instrumental piece of more than 20 minutes was included, created between producer David Richards and the band.

The great emotional effort involved in the careful recording process and the respectful arrangements of 'Made in Heaven' resulted in the best album possible under the circumstances, and its worldwide acceptance allowed it to sell more than 20 million copies.

3 stars

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