Veteran progressive band Focus will release their new album, X, on February 5th in North America. Featuring cover art by Roger Dean (Yes), the album was produced by the band with a running time just shy of 60 minutes and st is the first new material from the four-piece in six years.
Founded by keyboardist/flutist Thijs van Leer in 1969, the band have two certified gold recordings in the US spurred on by hits "Hocus Pocus," "House of the King," and "Sylvia." Thijs van Leer comments, "it is a thrill to have finally completed Focus X. We are all ecstatic about the new material. Our music is evolution, not revolution."
A renewed interest in Focus launched a few years back when Nike included the band's music in a commercial for the 2010 World Cup; a piece directed by Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (noted for his directorial work on major motion pictures 21 Grams and Babel). In addition, guitarist Gary Hoey re-recorded the band's "Hocus Pocus;" a recording that rocketed into Billboards' Top 5.
Confirmed track listing for X is:
1. Father Bacchus
2. Focus 10
3. Victoria
4. Amok In Kindergarten
5. All Hens On Deck
6. Le Tango
7. Hoeratio
8. Talk Of The Clown
9. Message Magic
10. CrossRoads