Use Your Illusion II is more ambitious than I, but it's also more pretentious. II is heavy on epics, whether it's the charging funk metal of "Locomotive," the antiwar "Civil War," or the multi-part "Estranged,” which are balanced with corrective lighter moments. "14 Years" may have a lean, Stonesy rhythm, and Duff McKagan's Johnny Thunders homag...

Use Your Illusion II is more ambitious than I, but it's also more pretentious. II is heavy on epics, whether it's the charging funk metal of "Locomotive," the antiwar "Civil War," or the multi-part "Estranged,” which are balanced with corrective lighter moments. "14 Years" may have a lean, Stonesy rhythm, and Duff McKagan's Johnny Thunders homage, "So Fine," may be entertaining, but GNR goes off the rails with ridiculous "Get in the Ring," where Axl Rose threatens rock journalists by name because they gave him bad reviews; a misinterpretation of Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"; and the bizarre paranoid closer, "My World." Yet there are numerous strengths to Illusion II, particularly those epics that play like a cross of Elton John and Freddie Mercury. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi