Rush

A Farewell To Kings

(3 1/2 stars) Not bad, but there just isn't much here.

Review Score:

(6/10)
The 3 1/2 star rating is mainly due to three songs: the title song, "Xanadu", and "Cinderella Man". The first has a nice little acoustic piece to open the album before the heavier stuff kicks in. "Xanadu" is far and away the best song and the album and could definitely stand up to nearly anything the band has to offer. To me, that's saying a lot since they've released two tons of albums and have a huge arsenal of material. The song does very well at reflecting different moods and there are a few time changes. I think the band is still performing it live and it is a great song to see performed. "Cinderella Man" is the other great song, but aside from those the album is bare bones. Not that "Closer to the Heart" is bad, except that I've heard it 10,000 times on the radio that it's become hard to listen to. "Madrigal" seems to be nothing special and "Cygnus X-1" just never really hits the mark. It only serves to remind me that Rush have done songs of equal length, but better. As I mentioned, this is a thumbs-up review but I wouldn't start here for new fans.

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