Dexys Midnight Runners- Searching for the Young Soul Rebels

There is so much more to Dexys Midnight Runners (a name that means “meth heads,” or “speed freak” dexys being short for dexadrine) than “Come On Eileen.” I’m not even sure its their best song. There have been books written about the band, and for good reason: the history of the band and its lead singer Kevin Rowland is one of frequent image and stylistic changes by a control freak frontman.

Let’s talk about Kevin Rowland. More than just being controlling behind the scenes and eccentric to a fault, he is also the thing that will turn most people off this album. His voice is weird, modulating almost like a yodel or a chicken squawk and his words incomprehensible at times. To say it takes some getting used to is an understatement.

My conversion moment, where I saw the light that there was actually something beyond just weirdness to this man’s singing was on the track “I’m Just Looking.” It’s Rowland’s version of a slow soul song, think “At the Dark End of the Street” by James Carr. To my surprise, I found myself feeling something. I was sad. I could feel Rowland’s own sadness, the longing in his voice. I realized that Rowland’s voice, off putting as it might be, was also the vehicle for subtle emotions, shades of longing and anger that just wouldn’t be available to a more conventional singer. So I’d encourage you to work through the initial discomfort to the emotion that lies beneath. I promise it’s there.

Besides Kevin Rowland, the instrumentation of this album is almost perfect, and even that slight imperfection serves to improve the sound, as if it were being played live. Sound-wise this is blue eyed soul, with just a dash of punk music for flavor. As I hinted at, there is real anger on this album, especially on the first and last tracks. That anger comes through despite the songs being more or less just a list of names. I would never trust Rowland to do anything conventional.

5/5 I considered giving this album a four on account of Rowland’s voice and the fact that the album dips in quality in the latter half. But it pulls out of a potential nosedive to the energetic music I’ve come to love. I decided to give this a five because it sounds like The Commitments with a twist. If that doesn’t warrant at least a listen, I’m not sure what does. If you don’t want to listen to the entire album, I recommend “Tell Me When My Light Turns Green” and “Seven Days Too Long.” That should whet your appetite.