First Impressions of a Chinese Democracy

Skipping the title track, we've all heard it by now...

- "Shackler's Revenge" (METAL! and TECHNO! - meh)

- "Better" (Second Single - better than the first, is that a 303? and whats with the Linkin Park sound?)

- "Street of Dreams" (Power Ballad!)

- "If the World" (Flamenco & Funk?!? YES! - best track on the set)

- "There Was a Time" (This one was leaked last year and its a big improvement, the rerecorded vocals are a huge improvement over the strain of the first take and the whole thing no longer sounds like a Chili Peppers reject.)

- "Catcher In the Rye" (Classic rock thing happening here - very 70's, very Queen - Edit: HA turns out Brian May was brought in on this one for a sec)

- "Scraped" (a chorus of strange howls, i think Axl recorded 2 vocal takes of this then badly spliced them along with effects and overdubs)

- "Riad N' The Bedouins" (I just can't get past the awful lyrics)

- "Sorry" (another power ballad, i like this one, lyrically axle still being a twat though)

- "I.R.S." (This'll be a single - catchy w/ great licks)

- "Madagascar" (NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!)

- "This I Love" (decent if a little too indulgent)

- "Prostitute" (album closer, Lyrics: "It Seems Like Forever and A Day, If My Intentions were Misunderstood, Please Be Kind, I've Done All I Should..." A little too on the nose but the track rocks)

There is sooooooo much hubris in this album, sometimes it works often time Axl's christ on the cross pose is just painful and when he compares himself to MLK its just wrong. But everything that has been leaked to date sounds much worse than this final product so hats off to that last polishing. Now off to get my Dr. Pepper!