SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ROGER TAYLOR – VIOLENCE INSANE IN A BEAUTIFUL WORLD

ROGER TAYLOR
VIOLENCE INSANE IN A BEAUTIFUL WORLD
COLUMBIA RECORDS

Ringo Starr, Phil Collins, and Don Henley are just a few examples of drummers who have had successful solo careers. You could add Roger Taylor of Queen to that list. He may not have sold as many albums, but he has had a very healthy solo career. He has just released his seventh solo album, Violence Insane in a Beautiful World, his first since 2021’s Outsider. Taylor has created a very cohesive and strong album with a great deal of meaning throughout. It is a very positive album, with bits of anger, but it is a beautiful album.

The album opens with “A Beautiful World.” Anytime you combine a little science fiction with science fact, it works perfectly. The addition of The Ndlovu Youth Choir with their stunning backing vocals just makes it a great opening. This is followed by the other half of the title of the album, the frightening “Violence Insane.” The heavy guitar and keyboards, and pounding rhythm, is spectacular, but still frightening. The contrast to the song before and after it is almost physical. As mentioned, Taylor shifts as it is followed by a wonderful love song to his wife, “What Really Matters.”

This is what makes Violence Insane In A Beautiful World such an incredible album. He really has no problem putting contrasting songs side by side. And it works. It makes the album interesting and intriguing. Not to mention the music is brilliant. Taylor has a great voice, and everything comes together. His cover of “Jealous Guy” fits in there too, and it is a lovely version of the song. Throughout Violence Insane In A Beautiful World, he uses vocals like an instrument (such as the amusing “Don’t Photograph Food”) and then blends voices and instruments together for an almost religious experience, as in “I See You Now”, another song for his wife.

Violence Insane In A Beautiful World may not be the album one would expect from Taylor, and that is a compliment. It is full of twists and turns, and each song says a great deal musically and lyrically. Taylor keeps things very interesting throughout the album, and it is a very rewarding listening experience. Violence Insane In A Beautiful World is wonderfully produced and sounds great. Taylor’s vocals are perfect and he has come up with incredible melodies.

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