Well, it certainly didn't have the natural flow of the original records given that Axl got into a more beat oriented style, which makes "My World" truly stand out as the end of the original band. But all music recorded and released by major labels today has that over polished sheen to it. Its just a matter of how much.
I bought the record under the impression of it being an Axl Rose solo record, as it really is, with no care if it sounded like GNFNR, just like when I bought those Velvet Revolver albums. And you know what...Chinese Democracy has some great guitar riffs, some great harmonies/melodies, and some great vocals. I will go as far as saying it has some really great songs. I was impressed. Outside of some of the processed drums and sound effects, which I found cheesy, I think this would be an epic album.
What I want to know is how much of the album was recorded recently. It doesn't sound like 1995. There are parts on songs like Madagascar that have a well aged vocal, but then there are a few miscellaneous parts throughout the album where he sounds a lot younger.
