Though not without its shortcomings, Queen‘s ninth album seems like a breath of fresh air by comparison with the quartet’s recent outings. True, the group hasn’t entirely shed the sloppiness, redundancy, and pretension that bogged down much of its mid- and late-1970s work. But clearly, Queen is trying on The Game, and even when the results here don’t completely click, the guys generally make all the right moves. Best cuts include “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” the catchy, vocals-dominated recent hit, and “Need Your Loving Tonight,” both of which eschew formulaic posturing in favor of hummable bare-bones rock and roll.