Oh, Queen! Excessive, progressive, theatrical, bombastic, acrobatic. On, Queen! Take center stage on Shapiro’s self-titled album, baring your heart-on-sleeve, a musical monologue caught in the spotlight, with the 70’s keyboard hitting those dramatic intervals and fills. Oh, Queen! Arms outstretched, singing for the third balcony, your love lying at your feet like an opera’s final act.
Shapiro accessorizes that Queen sound in just enough places to make a fresh appearance. Guitar riff fills and the quick-paced vocal on “L-E-A-V-I-N-G,” plus the Bay City Rollers spelled out shout, cause the track to click along even when in its more anthemic places. “All Things Around the Sun” has these instrumental breaks which come closest to the urgency and hard-edge of the piano-driven rock of Crash Kings.
