Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Focus
Label: Red Bullet Records
Release: 2006
Rating: 3/5
Of the legendary symphonic prog rock bands that created most of their best work in the ’70s, the Dutch troubadours Focus have always remained somewhat overlooked, despite masterpieces like the albums “Moving Waves” (1971) and “Hamburger Concerto” (1973), and despite the ultra-hit “Hocus Pocus” (Moving Waves), which pretty much every halfway clued-in rock fan knows. Mostly they lived in the long shadow of their British peers, even though they almost always had a style you could spot from miles away. After the average-to-below-average albums of the late ’70s and a failed reunion attempt in the mid-’80s, their yodeling chieftain, the highly respected and charismatic keyboardist, flutist and vocalist Thijs van Leer, finally managed to resurrect the band in 2002, though not quite the way he would have wanted. His attempt to revive the group in its classic lineup, with the irreplaceable but moody Jan Akkerman on guitar, didn’t work out, so he had to give some new musicians a shot. “Focus 8” (2002) followed, their first studio album in 24 years, if I don’t count “Focus: Jan Akkerman & Thijs van Leer” (1985), which was more a joint project of the band’s two main big shots. “Focus 8”, which was a considerable letdown despite a few good pieces, showed that the new Focus had settled into a kind of melancholic empathy and that they were slowly running out of fresh ideas in the new century, so I wasn’t expecting anything all that special from this one either.
Interestingly, this album carries two different names, the ambitious-sounding “New Skin” and the rather worn-out “Nine” (it’s more than obvious we can look forward to “Ten”, “Eleven”, “Twelf” and so on; out of superstition, apparently, the tradition can’t be broken), which also reflects roughly what the album sounds like: a fitting compromise between a few new ideas and the classic, recognizable Focus sound that will satisfy all their old fans. It’s encouraging enough that old stalwart Pierre van der Linden is back behind the drums, while young guitarist Niels van der Steenhoven, who replaced Jan Dumee before the album came out, raised hopes that he’d bring the band some extra youthful drive and new ideas, which he at least partly managed to deliver. On the other hand, I have to admit I never really expected Focus to come up with anything revolutionary, which is a problem shared by most of the few surviving legends of the golden age of progressive rock. Their best and most adventurous days are long gone.
The album is stuffed with more than 70 minutes of music, which is a rarity these days for a band with as long a track record as Focus have, though it comes with the risk that not all the songs are on the same level. That goes for this album too, but in the end quality still outweighs quantity. Opener “Black Beauty”, with its thick Hammond lines, witty whistling and bouncy rhythm, is a classic Focus tune (and luckily a different one from the song of the same name on their debut), though it lacks a bit of the unbridled energy that usually marks their best work. “Focus 7” continues their tradition of emotional pieces with lovely organ arrangements and melancholic guitar passages. “Hurkey Turkey Pt. 2” brings a bit more energy, a sequel to the song of the same name from “Focus 8”, featuring an adaptation of a classic Mozart piece that most trained pianists learn right at the start. It’s a fairly comical, not very successful attempt to recapture the old days with Thijs’s trademark yodeling, baroque piano arrangements and a few classic riffs. This one is a more than obvious sign that they’re running out of fresh ideas in places. Far more interesting is the jazz-leaning “Sylvia’s Stephenson’s – Ubatuba”, with emotional keyboards and electrified riffs alongside Thijs’s vocal antics. Here van der Steenhoven shines for the first time with a great solo worthy of the best symphonic prog guitarists. “Niels’ Skin” (obviously dedicated to van der Steenhoven) has a funky rhythm and some good riffs, as well as outstanding passages built on the interplay of guitar and keyboards, topped off by a witty guitar solo that finally convinces you Niels is a guitarist cut from the right cloth. Another one of the album’s better pieces. Then comes a pretty big flop, the ballad “Just Like Eddy”, with guest vocals by Jo de Roeck, which is so over-the-top schmaltzy that it’s completely out of context with the rest of the album. De Roeck’s voice would suit a modern pop band better than Focus. Without the lovely Hammond bed and dynamic guitar passages, I’d have a hard time believing it’s the same band. “Aya Yuppie Hippie Yee” tells us from the title alone that it’s a playful piece, and it’s one of the album’s highlights, with no shortage of tasty guitar passages and plenty of fills on van der Linden’s drums. Finally the moment I’d been waiting quite a while for arrives – Thijs’s excellent flute solo, which is conspicuously scarce across the album as a whole. “Focus 9” is a jazz-leaning affair built on heavy use of piano and acoustic guitar. A fairly sleepy and even slightly boring piece, and above all noticeably too long. Focus were just never born to be big jazz fusionists, since their rhythm section was almost always too distinctly (hard) rock. “Curtain Call” is saved by Thijs’s almost-always-great flute, good drum transitions and tasteful variations between the Hammond and the guitar. This time the jazz-rock fusion works a lot better than before. The cheerful mood gets stabbed again by yet another melancholic piece, “Ode To Venus”, which I have no major complaints about, though one more variation wouldn’t have hurt. “European Rap (sody)” is the peak of the album and the piece closest to the Focus classics, since it has all their best ingredients: melancholic keyboard passages, cheeky flute, Thijs’s yodeling, hard rock riffs, a bouncy jazzy rhythm with a downright Russian kazachok flavor in the first part. The second part is especially thrilling, full of both melancholic and cheeky variations. It’s also interesting that Thijs, in his unusual spoken-word delivery, reels off all their classics. “Pim” is another one of those goofy pieces (dedicated to random muses) that sound like a commercial for kids’ slippers and can’t be taken seriously in any way. “It Takes 2 2 Tango” is a sleepy closer of exactly the kind you more or less expected. Melancholic, bar-flavored fusion on piano with some solid guitar passages.
Even after all these years, Focus prove they’re still masters of melodically spiced symphonic rock, dynamics, jazz-leaning harmonies, witty musical themes, impressions and shifting moods, from cheeky to melancholic. They remain devoted musical perfectionists. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to inject a fresh idea or two into their recognizable sound, which would cut down on the predictability of some of the pieces on an album that is, overall, a relatively successful attempt at returning to the old standards and a turn in the right direction, even if it’s far from what they created in their prime. The band’s classic sound has come back on most of the better tracks, which is encouraging for all fans of their old days, but the album is constantly dragged down by a lack of new ideas, and it’s also more than obvious that almost every slightly more energetic piece is followed by a mellow one. There’s a constant sense of compromise throughout, of trying to please the old fans and dig themselves out, via a tried-and-tested formula, of the fact that they haven’t made a truly decent album in years. They did pull that off in the end, since the album will satisfy all the loyal followers of the old burlesque showman and his troubadours, who, if not in the studio anymore, are at least on stage still a magnificent band that’s always worth catching live, as most of the recently released live recordings prove. Anyone expecting something similar to works like “Eruption”, “Asnwers? Questions! Questions? Answers!” or “Hamburger Concerto” will just have to keep living in the distant past.
Lineup
Thijs van Leer – Hammond organ, keyboards, flute, vocals
Niels van der Steenhoven – guitar
Bobby Jacobs – bass guitar
Pierre van Der Linden – drums
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Jo de Roeck – vocals (6)
Production
Thijs van Leer
Tracklist
1. Black Beauty (4:14)
2. Focus 7 (5:23)
3. Hurkey Turkey 2 (4:05)
4. Sylvia’s Stepson – Ubatuba (4:50)
5. Neils’ Skin (6:05)
6. Just Like Eddy (5:09)
7. Aya-Yuppie-Hippie-Yee (5:18)
8. Focus 9 (7:57)
9. Curtain Call (4:36)
10. Ode to Venus (4:30)
11. European Rap(sody) (10:23)
12. Pim (3:01)
13. It Takes 2 2 Tango (8:03)
