Killer Queen: A Tribute To Queen

Faithful is the best word to describe the killer versions of Queen songs on Killer Queen/A Tribute to Queen, though for every couple of note for note renditions, there is a unique exception to the rule.

Shinedown do a perfectly screeching version of "Tie Your Mother Down," right down to the tone of Brian May's guitar and vocalist Freddie Mercury's "ooo-yeas."

Joss Stone lends her gritty, soulful pipes to the Queen/David Bowie collaboration "Under Pressure." It's incredible that she can tackle both the Bowie and Mercury vocal parts with strength and range.

Gavin DeGraw does a super-impressive vocal take on "We Are The Champions," originally from the News of the World album, though he departs from the big stadium rock vibe of the original and goes for a more soulful approach; it suits the song surprisingly well.

"Bicycle Race," from the Jazz album, is cleverly done by the punky Be Your Own Pet. Conversely, LA session/soundtrack man Jon Brion does an ethereal take on "Play The Game," from the album of the same name.

Josh Kelley turns in a moody "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" that departs from the song's country arrangement and takes it into the outer limits of new wave retro-rock.

Surprise entrants Los Lobos (you might not figure them for Queen fans) come up with a smoking blues for "Sleeping on the Sidewalk." Though Los Lobos are primarily known as a roots rock band, their ability to tackle this one as well as Queen's ability to hop genre borders are further evidence of the force that both bands possess.

Sum 41 do a valiant "Killer Queen" complete with really great harmonies and Mercury's tricky vocal turns. Nice! Rooney do the honors on "Death on Two Legs" and again, it's kept very close to the spirit of the dramatic original. Even Flaming Lips, known for their conceptualizing, play it pretty straight on "Bohemian Rhapsody," though the iconoclastic alternative rockers definitely give it their stamp as vocalist Wayne Coyne is his own man (in other words, he ain't no Freddie Mercury!). Nevertheless, the Lips give the song their tripped-out, ragged best and come up with a post-apocalyptic version of a classic. Balancing out that take is a note perfect copy of the song by the cast of We Will Rock You, the Queen musical.

When Antigone Rising give their gender-bent country twist to "Fat Bottomed Girls," they tweak an already fairly out-there song concept. So does it work? Heck yea! Because the great thing about Queen is that you can roll 'em, dice 'em and otherwise splice their songs, yet Freddie Mercury's constructions are airtight. No matter how you slice 'em, Queen remains killer.