Originally published by L.S. Media. July 9th 2012.
L.S. Media ****
Kevin Rowland and Dexys have been out of the public eye for a long time now, the last studio album by the band that formally went by the name Dexys Midnight Runners was way back in 1985. However the band that stormed the charts with hits such as Come On Eileen and Geno are now back and with a truly artistic and well written album titled One Day I’m Going To Soar.
Some 27 years have passed since the sight of dungarees graced Kevin Rowland and his Celtic soul based Birmingham bands apparel. These days the smart but casual look that you associate with the suburbs of Paris rather than Kings Heath, Edgbaston or Selly Park is the vogue and in some obscure but fascinating way it has given the band a sense of 21st century statement of intent.
One Day I’m Going To Soar could well be the name of the autobiography of the band, almost forgotten by the wider music conscious as the musical heyday of the group drifted further away by the day. The title gives hope that no matter how much time passes by for a set of musicians, there will always be time for that one album, that one song which outstrips everything you did before. It might take five years, it might take 30 years but in the end it will happen. One Day I’m Going To Soar is the equivalent of The Waterboys’ opus An Appointment with Mr Yeats, a record that defies the expectation and is irredeemably and utterly beautiful.
Dexys pull apart the emotion that traverses the album with a delicacy that wouldn’t be out of place in a fine fabric shop. The passion that frames such songs as I’m Always Going to Love you, the smashing Incapable of Love and the saxophone driven ethereal beauty of I’m Thinking of You is outstanding and is greatly enhanced by the addition to the old team of Madeline Hyland.
This combination of late return of pure excellence, a drive that never really vanished and a band with renewed vigour is one that is potent and thrilling to hear. It’s not just music on this album but poetry inspired heartfelt appreciation.
Dexys play at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on September 24th as part of their latest tour.
Ian D. Hall