Chinese Democracy is everything you've
been waiting so patiently for -- and a lot more.
Here's a full track description:
"Chinese Democracy" opens things up on
a theatrical note. Right away you realize that
frontman and GN'R mastermind Axl Rose has never
sounded better. Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal's guitar
solo is another highlight of the title track.
"Better" couldn't be better, with a
five-pronged guitar attack setting off
explosions while a hard beat crunches away.
Tommy Stinson's bass line provides the backbone
of the rhythm. "Street Of Dreams" comes
next, the beautiful song that you might
recognize during GN'R's 2006 tour, introduced as
"The Blues."
The
fifth track, "If The World," is a classic
funk-rock song with Middle Eastern elements and
liquid bass playing from synth man and
programmer –- and track co-writer –- Chris
Pitman. There Was A Time" "Broken glass
and cigarettes, writing on the wall/It was a
bargain for the summer and I thought I had it
all," Axl sings before this instant classic
crescendos into the powerful chorus. Other
highlights include Dizzy Reed, Pitman and Axl's
synth orchestra, which gives the song a movie
feel.
A gorgeous instrumental intro featuring
piano, bass and Axl's signature wails begins the
album's next track, "Catcher In The Rye".
"Scraped" features Axl all over the
register, with layers and layers of vocal tracks
piledt on top of each other while a sinister
guitar riff shoots through the chorus: "Don't
you try to stop us now/'cause I just won't let
you." Meanwhile, "Sorry" is a kick-back
track with acoustic guitar but with Axl-penned
lyrics that bite: "You don't know why I won't
give in," he says. "To hell with the pressure,
I'm not caving in."
Track No. 9, "Riad N' The Bedouins"
has Axl giving his all to the vocal over a
complex, multi-layered guitar rhythm. The
instrumental bridge segues from strings to a
Bumblefoot solo assault. An electronic drum loop
leads right into the next song, "I.R.S.",
which contains some of Axl's most inner-reaching
lyrical content on the album. Track No. 12,
"Madagascar," features acclaimed orchestral
arranger Paul Buckmaster and emotional samples
from history, including two speeches by Martin
Luther King Jr., the films "Mississippi Burning"
and "Cool Hand Luke."
"This I Love" starts with only Axl's
voice and piano playing, and it's the only song
on the album solely written by Axl.
"Prostitute" brings things to a close, with
Axl saying, "It's not a question of whether my
heart is true."
Chinese Democracy is a truly epic project,
GNR's first studio release since 1993's The
Spaghetti Incident?.