Queen guitarist Brian May and musical partner Kerry Ellis are preparing to release their second album, Golden Days, on April 7 via Sony Music.
The two artists have been working together for over 13 years both in the recording studio and on numerous tours. Brian May, of course, is not only a member of Queen for over forty years but also a holder of a PHD in astrophysics and a noted author. Ellis has appeared on London’s West End in such shows as My Fair Lady, Les Miserables, Wicked and the Queen musical We Will Rock You.
May and Ellis first met when Brian attended a performance of Lady and urged her to audition for the Queen musical. At first, May mainly promoted her and produced a number of recordings but, in 2010, they combined their musical talents for the album Anthems.
The new album, Golden Days, includes five original compositions, two by May and three by May and Ellis, along with new recordings of some of the pairs’ favorite songs including Phil Lynott and Gary Moore’s Parisienne Walkways, Leiber & Stoller’s I (Who Have Nothing), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s If I Loved You and a new arrangement of Born Free.
Brian May said “This album is a true collaboration between Kerry and myself. Five years ago, Anthems was the result of me producing an exciting new artist – Kerry Ellis. This new record has both our names on it, and breaks new ground. We produced ourselves together as a team. I feel confident it’s the best thing we’ve ever done and a worthy testament to 13 years of belief. It also happens to feature Britain’s most beautiful voice!”
Ellis added “This new album has been a real journey of discovery and I feel so proud of how Brian and I have developed over the years; we have learnt how to work together and inspire each other to create special performances and music. The album is really a mixture of our experiences and has a story behind each song. Brian and I have had such fun developing it and can’t wait for people to hear it.”
The track list:
Love In A Rainbow (Brian May, Kerry Ellis)
Roll With You (Brian May, Kerry Ellis)
Golden Days (Brian May)
It’s Gonna Be All Right (The Panic Attack Song) (Brian May)
Amazing Grace (John Newton, Trad. Arr. Brian May)
One Voice (Ruth Moody)
If I Loved You (Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers)
Born Free (John Barry, Don Black)
Parisienne Walkways (Phil Lynott, Gary Moore)
I Who Have Nothing (Carlo Donida, Mogol, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller)
The Kissing Me Song (Brian May, Kerry Ellis)
Story Of A Heart (Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson)
Can’t Help Falling In Love (Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, George David Weiss)
