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Reviews

Focus — Focus 12
(Cherry Red In and Out of Focus SOUMCD566, 2024, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2024-12-22

Focus 12 Cover art

The band Focus was founded in 1969, and with Thijs van Leer being the only original member left, the group’s twelfth studio album is the appropriately titled Focus 12. Drummer Pierre van der Linden has been in the group off and on since 1970, and the other members are bassist Udo Pannekeet and guitarist Menno Gootjes, both of whom have at least a couple of studio albums and many live performances with the band. Musically there are not many surprises here, just ten tracks solidly in the tradition of the band’s style — instrumental rock with Classical influence and touches of jazz, all held together by van Leer’s keyboards and flute. There really isn’t a weak tune in the bunch, though there’s not really anything that’s likely to challenge the memorability of the group’s classic 70s material. “Fjord Focus” starts the album off in fine style, with a lot of energy and some good melodies throughout its length. “Focus 13” continues the stately tradition of the long-running series, sounding like an Elgar processional arranged for rock band. The real outlyer is “Meta Indefinita,” a group improvisation that ventures into some atmospheric territory and presents the first recorded improvisation on a Focus album. Van der Linden’s drumming is quite tasty here, with a deft jazzy touch. Aside from the improvisation, Gootjes and Pannekeet each contribute one composition, with the remaining seven coming from the pen of van Leer. In short, Focus 12 delivers the goods for fans of the band, and is a worthy addition to their catalog.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Focus, Thijs van Leer, Udo Pannekeet

 

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