While DeYoung does not seem totally onboard with the splitting of 26 East in half, as the album's sleeve notes suggest, in my view the decision was a wise one. All too often these days albums made for the CD market are far too long. This can make it sometimes hard to see the wood for the trees, leaving listeners to trudge through overlong and dense albums. Volume 1 of 26 East clocks in at a snappy 45 minutes, which is similar to all of those classic Styx albums of the 1970s and 1980s; and that makes the album very digestible. It also helps that many of the songs here are very strong, with one of the best in East of Midnight kicking thing off. Those who love the pure pomp of Styx classics like The Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight will instantly recognise DeYoung's style here. From the driving retro synth riff to harmony guitar leads courtesy of August Zadra and Jimmy Leahey, East of Midnight really could have appeared on any of Styx's best albums. The thing that is instantly apparent when listening to this album is how great DeYoung still sounds vocally. His voice has barely deteriorated at all, with his clean diction and sweet melodies still sounding as good as ever. The album's opening number is a perfect showcase for his vocal talents, as it features a soaring chorus that is packed full of great melodies - with the band contributing strong harmonies. He has also not attempted to modernise his sound in any way. Old-school keyboard sounds are all over the album, and the opening song has a strong keyboard-dominated section with DeYoung and fellow keyboardist John Blasucci trading organ and synth melodies in grand, pomp rock tradition. The spoken intro to second song With All Due Respect is easily the strangest part of the album, referencing the tribal and toxic nature of modern American politics - and it leads into a rather scathing song that is enjoyable but suffers from a few clunky lyrics. It is one of the album's few attempts at a ballsy hard rock sound, with chunky guitar riffs leading the charge while the keyboards take something of a backseat, and DeYoung has used that backdrop to rant a little bit about the state of US politics. While US politics certainly has plenty of issues currently, the song comes off as a little trite lyrically despite having some memorable riffs and a decent chorus. The chorus, which is gang vocal-led, is something a bit different from DeYoung's usual style. This is interesting to see, but in my view the song just does not quite hang together properly. A Kingdom Ablaze is stronger, and goes for a bit more of an atmospheric and progressive approach. The song takes a little while to get going, with pulsing synths and a distant beat creating a strong soundscape early on - which proves to be a great bed for DeYoung's vocals once he starts to sing. Compared to the opening two numbers, A Kingdom Ablaze is a much more dynamic song that moves between atmospheric and harder rock sections throughout. The verses tend to be calmer, with the synths and atmospherics really dominating; while the choruses explode in a stab of heavy guitar into an almost Queen-esque display of grandeur. While I have never really considered Styx to be a prog band, they certainly had their proggy moments - particularly in the mid-1970s. This song is somewhat similar to those more experimental pieces that DeYoung wrote for the band, but it is still packed full of his musical and lyrics trademarks.
One thing that is almost guaranteed from a DeYoung album is big ballads. DeYoung has written a lot of rather sugary ballads over the years, so I had expected a few to show up here. You My Love is the first, and only true, example of the style here, and those who are familiar with tracks like Babe will certainly recognise all the hallmarks of those singles of the past. DeYoung's vocal melodies throughout the song are very saccharine and a little on the twee side, but that is to be expected. A big part of DeYoung's appeal are his ballads, and You My Love is a good example of his craft. Rolling piano and shimmering synths make up the bulk of the song, although occasional bursts of harder guitar are included to spice things up a little and to add character. On the whole though this is a very accessible and poppy ballad which could easily fit on the soundtrack to a Broadway musical - which is certainly to be expected from a DeYoung album! I am not personally keen on this side of his songwriting, but I am aware that the ballads are a big part of his appeal for many. Run from the Roses is another slower track, but it leaves the sugary melodies behind and instead goes for a grander overall approach. In some ways, the song reminds me a little of a modern version of Come Sail Away as it builds up fairly slowly around a piano melody before exploding into a harder rocking chorus. Layers of vocal harmonies are constantly employed throughout the song, which really helps it to sound huge. It is probably the biggest sounding song on the album, and it really does sound like a long lost classic Styx. While DeYoung's true ballads, such as the previous song, can be a bit much at times; songs like Run for the Roses always do it for me. The mix of emotion and soaring rock melodies is always a winner in my eyes - and as a result this song is possibly my favourite moment on the album. The chorus is instantly memorable, and DeYoung's passionate vocal performance just really caps everything off nicely. Throw in a couple of simple, but well-phrased, guitar solos and the track really has everything it needs to become a future pomp rock classic. Damn That Dream is a bit more upbeat, but DeYoung's melodic hallmarks are still all over the song. This is no With All Due Respect as it does not go for an all-out hard rock approach, but instead takes DeYoung's patented keyboards and mixes it in with an upbeat rhythm and guitars to compliment the ringing piano. This gives the song a bit of a boogie vibe throughout, but the prominent keyboards and DeYoung's instantly-recognisable voice stops the song sounding like Foghat. The great thing about this album is how big every song sounds. DeYoung could have attempted to modernise his sound and strip away some of the pomp, but instead he has almost doubled down on his core sound at times - with some of these songs sounding bigger than some of the old Styx classics. Damn That Dream sounds massive, with layers of keyboards and harmony vocals present throughout - which particularly allows the catchy chorus to stand out in a big way.
Unbroken initially sounds as if it is going to be another ballad, but after a rather low-key intro the song morphs into another strong mid-paced slab of pomp rock with soaring melodies and a grand sound. While not every song on this album is a winner, I just love the overall sound of everything here. In an age where sometimes less is seen as more, DeYoung has thrown everything at all of the songs here. His band also do a great job at bringing his song to life. He may not be accompanied by any 'big name' players here, but his band are all talented musicians that know when to step forward and shine and when to take more of a backseat. The guitar playing throughout the album is very tasteful. There are few big solos to be found, but there are lots of lovely little melodies found throughout the album, and Unbroken contains quite a few - which help to provide a strong contrast to the piano and DeYoung's big vocal hooks. The Promise of This Land starts out as another big ballad but it soon moves into much grander territory. While portions of the song still sound a bit Broadway in places, the guitar work throughout the opening moments helps to contrast the with piano but when the song really ramps up it morphs into another pomp classic. Some of the keyboard playing throughout the song is really excellent; with the piano leading the charge at times, while sparkling old-school synths cut through the mix elsewhere. While all of the songs here sound big, this is possibly the biggest sounding song of all. There is just so much going on throughout the song, from the multiple layers of vocals that help the choruses to stand out to the aforementioned keyboards the song is just a musical feast. It takes a few listens to really get a hang of, but as a result it is one of the album's standout moments for me. The album's last 'proper' song is To the Good Old Days, a collaboration between DeYoung and Julian Lennon. Lennon duets with DeYoung throughout, the two singers' voices mixing nicely together, and this vocal combination really helps the song to stand out. It is quite a downbeat song, with a fairly sombre piano arrangement and a subtle beat, but there are still plenty of strong melodies to latch onto. DeYoung just seems to have a knack of coming up with catchy melodies, even for songs that are not explosive rockers. His ballads, as this song is, are always memorable (even if they are not always my thing) and that is certainly a particular skill of his. It is a great way to partially close out the album. It is one of the least-grand moments here, with a simpler arrangement and a focus on vocal interplay helping the song to stand out from the rest. It is left to the short A.D. 2020 to close things out, a song that recalls two similar-sounding tracks from Styx's Paradise Theatre album. It is a short piano and vocal piece that is over almost as soon as it starts, but it provides a nice, calm end to what is largely a grand-sounding album. Overall, despite a couple of missteps, 26 East is a strong album from DeYoung that sees him sticking largely to the formula that has served him well over the years. As this is Volume 1 of a two volume set I am looking forward to hearing the second part, as if the quality is as good as on this album then it will certainly be worth picking up. It is great to hear some new songs from DeYoung again after all these years, and it is good to see that he has lost none of his touch.
The album was released on 22nd May 2020 via Frontiers Records. Below is his promotional video for To the Good Old Days.
No comments:
Post a Comment