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-seventies 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.