Dennis DeYoung Still Rocking at 60
— July 19, 2007 2 50It’s a little bit hard for an aging rock fan like myself to think of former Styx front man as a guy who is five years shy of the standard retirement age, but that does not make it any less true.
DeYoung, who is 60 years old is not showing any signs that he his thinking about retirement in light of the news of a brand new album that was recently released in Canada.
The new album, One Hundred Years From Now, appears to be available as an import here un the U.S. according to DeYoung’s official web site.
The new album appears to be enjoying some popularity in Canada with one of the tracks, the title track specifically, receiving the hit single treatment on airwaves north of the border.
2 Comments
100 Years From Now is more “Styx” than anything “new” or “old” Styx has produced since Paradise Theater. Unlike Cyclorama – good effort but one that only had perhaps 2-3 Styx-sounding tunes – Dennis TRULY returns to his “roots” with songs like the title track, “Crossing the Rubicon,” “Rain,” “Forgiveness” and “Save Me.” While the syruppy balads are thankfully missing, he does have a couple of “love songs” – one written directly to his wife (again) that are quick song-skippers.
He’s got a bluesy tune reminiscent of the Desert Moon era called “Respect Me”, a country-flavored, catchy attack on the information age called “I don’t believe in Anything” that sounds like it might have been written when he wrote the songs for Brave New World – and it’s a shame that he didn’t include this over duds like “Hipopcracy” and “Fallen Angel.” The last tune on the album – “Turn Off CNN” is an updated version of ‘Rockin’the Paradise.’
One song – “Save Me” – is a follow-up to “Show Me the Way” only better and, in a different time and place, would have been a major hit single for Styx. If it can SOMEHOW get airplay, Dennis will leave his cynical former bandmates (who have desecreated the brand and the image of Stxy by playing every crappy gig they can get, putting out a record number of live albums and doing a senseless “cover” album) permanently in the dust.
Dennis’ past solo efforts were ‘eh’ at best. This one is actually a Styx album. And the best Styx album produced since 1981.
While I respectfully disagree in the assessment that a few of the songs can be skipped, I completely agree with you that this is by far Dennis back in form and definitely the best ‘Styx’ album since Paradise Theater (My personal Favorite by Styx).
It’s clear – honestly for the first time since the original parting of the ways – who the true heart of Styx was. Tommy and JY may own the name… But Dennis owns the soul.
And I’ll take the soul anyday…