Golden Oldies

Focus is a Dutch rock band that has been together since 1969. They have had several lineup changes and even disbanded several times, but they recently released their 11th studio album, “Golden Oldies,” on April 29th. Their songs have been used in commercials as well as the recently released “Robocop” movie. Their sound is a mix of hard rock, jazz and progressive rock.
The instrumentals were great on this album and were strongest part and the main focus of all of the songs. Focus had a good variety of styles and sounds that easily showcased the talent and versatility of the band. However, most of the songs lacked vocals, which was not always a bad thing. The little vocals they did include on the songs were either pretty bad or unnecessary. I am a bit torn on how I feel about the album because of the vocals, but was more than surprised and overwhelmed on the instrumentals alone. There were a good number of great songs on this album, but my favorite songs were “Sylvia” and “House of the King.” For those reasons, I am giving this album a “C+.”