Review Summary: By changing for the better, she had changed things for the worse.
Rock singers delving into the world of classical music is a relatively uncommon sight, by and large for good reason. Yet if there were one rock musician who could dip their toes into the proverbial classical waters and come away not looking like an enormous fool, eccentric Queen frontman Freddie Mercury would be that individual. Having made a guest appearance with the Royal Ballet previously, longtime opera fan Mercury grew to become a fan of a famous Spanish soprano named Montserrat Caballé. After being introduced following a performance of hers, the two ended up agreeing to work on a track together. That project eventually grew to encompass an entire album, titled after Caballé's beloved hometown of Barcelona. The record was made during Queen's three year-long hiatus following their 1986 world tour, which also happened to be around the time Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS (possible hints at this diagnosis can be found in a couple of lyrics here and there, though whether these were intentional is unclear).
It must be understood that
Barcelona is in no way opera music by any definition; nay, this is accessible classical crossover through and through, sung almost entirely in English and containing just enough of a hook to keep the contemporary fanbase from nodding off. Not that Mercury and Mike Moran's arrangements would allow such an act: the entirely-synth-created orchestra crashes and blares at any moment the songs need even a mere touch of dramatic enhancement. Subtle this music is not, but then again, it's not as if Queen or even opera itself is really known for utilizing subtlety and nuance. Thankfully the songs themselves are quite good, in fact the best work of Mercury's since the mid-70's. Making a good impression on Montserrat was evidently of prime importance to Freddie, and it shows in spades here. Queen-esque vocal harmonies can still be found occasionally, like on the bombastic title track, but by and large Mercury wisely avoids making this album sound too much like "Queen with an orchestra". The gospel-tinged "Golden Boy" is a self-portrait that features some of his best lyrics ever, and the following mashup "Guide Me Home/How Can I Go On" is a direct cry for help to God himself, an unusual lyrical direction for Mercury to take considering he essentially abandoned religion as a lyrical talking point after Queen's first two albums. (As mentioned before, this could be interpreted as referring to his illness.) The aforementioned bombastic arrangements work the best on "The Fallen Priest", featuring scalic piano runs and frantic violin arpeggios acting as a backdrop to Mercury and Montserrat's duet, culminating in the soprano showing off her high C at the very end. Considering this is only the third track, it would seem that the old adage "it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings" doesn't hold true in this instance, but such is life.
Mercury and Montserrat's chemistry is palpable throughout basically the entire album (I say "basically" because the second half of the album is more contemporary than the first, and as a result Montserrat sticks out like a sore thumb at points). Such an awkward pairing of voices could have resulted in disaster, and yet Mercury does everything possible to make it seem natural. He plays off of the soprano's voice excellently, never crossing too far into "Freddie Mercury, rock singer" territory, but always keeping whatever grit and rasp he has in appropriate moderation. And when he's given more free reign on the second half, he lets loose with some of the best vocal performances of his life. As for Montserrat, it's impossible to tell whether she's invested in the project or whether she's merely going through the motions, but her vocals are immaculate, as one would expect. Regardless, it's Mercury's passion that drives this record from beginning to end; never once does it feel like he's doing the project for the sake of novelty alone, but rather he's attempting to ensure it has musical merit of its own, which he succeeds at. The members of Queen have never been known as strong solo musicians, so to say that
Barcelona is the best solo Queen album by a considerable margin is not saying very much at all. But the best of the lot it is, and if you're looking for further examples of Freddie Mercury's excellent singing (or if you want the most entry-level classical music introduction that's humanely possible to give), you can't go wrong.
