Live Around the World, Queen’s first live album with Adam Lambert on vocals, was recorded over the course of the group’s many world tours between 2014 and 2020. It presents the perfect opportunity to discover – or rediscover – the “Lambert phenomenon” live. At just 29 years old, he dared to walk in the footsteps of one of the greatest singers and showmen we’ve ever seen: Freddie Mercury. It can’t have been easy trying to choose the tracks for this album but the skilful mix of unavoidable hits and rarer tracks means that it avoids falling into the trap of simply being a best of live album. Better yet, Roger Taylor, Brian May and Adam Lambert go so far as to pay tribute to Mercury by including two tracks from his solo repertoire (the moving song Love Kills - The Ballad and I Was Born to Love You). Probably stemming from the fact that Mercury’s voice is completely individual, Lambert stays faithful to the Queen sound but never tries to copy him. It soon becomes clear judging from the songs here (Somebody To Love is a good example) that few people could have risen to the challenge – and done it so well. Among the record’s many highlights, the brilliant version of cult favourite Under Pressure stands out, with the original Mercury/Bowie duo being replaced by Lambert and Taylor. There’s also a heavy version of Now I’m Here – a track that proves that 70-year-olds still know how to bring out the big guns (check out the severely underestimated drummer Roger Taylor!). It’s a given that Queen and Lambert won’t write any new material. They’re focusing on bringing their huge musical heritage to the stage, so we should appreciate these songs without expecting anything else. Live Around the World is a wonderful album – and a great counter-argument to people who didn’t expect the band to survive without its leader. © Charlélie Arnaud/Qobuz