I think a fair bit of the timing thing is coming from Craig's effort to phrase EXACTLY like Freddie Mercury. He's done a very good job of emulating the way Freddie rubato'd around the words.

Unfortunately, without the words a lot of the rubato doesn't make as much sense...... A 'straight from the record' transcription rarely works well if it is played on an instrument other than the original. You can hear this on just about any instrumental album of popular songs. The seasoned instrumentalist re-interprets the song to better suit the sound he is using, rather than relying on phrasing from another instrument or singer, and ends up with a 'better' version than if he'd just copied it verbatim.

Give this a try, next time, Craig, and try to see if a more personal interpretation leads to a better feel for the lead when it is covering a sung line......... How about doing 'Killer Queen' next time??!