New album 'Close Beauty' out on October 25
Jan Akkerman will be releasing ‘Close Beauty’, his first studio album in 8 years and his first on Music Theories Recordings / Mascot Label Group on the 25th October 2019.
About his newest song Don Giovanni he says "“My aim is to create beauty in my music which is generally a flexible concept anyway. I like diversity and freedom and try to avoid 2nd hand blueslicks, otherwise there’s too much of the same thing. With Don Giovanni, it triggered the idea that: he could make a statue cry”."
Check out the video for 'Don Giovanni'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iQrouqcpts&feature=youtu.be&utm_source=Benelux+%2B+ROW+Press&utm_campaign=43972ee40f-JAN_AKKERMAN_DON_GIOVANNI&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_91fb212bf1-43972ee40f-297378409&mc_cid=43972ee40f&mc_eid=d77a1900b6
Akkerman was a founding member of Focus from 1969 to 1976 where he recorded a number of breakout albums including, ‘Focus II/Moving Waves’ (1971). The album spawned the mega-hit ‘Hocus Pocus’ which reached #9 on the US Billboard Chart, #12 in The Netherlands and #20 in the UK singles chart and the song has gone on to appear on numerous TV shows such as; Top Gear, Skins, Supernatural, Vinyl, My Name is Earl and Shameless as well we the 2007 film Hot Fuzz, 2014 remake of Robocop and 2017s Baby Driver. The song has been covered by a number of other artists including Iron Maiden, Marillion, Helloween, Gary Hoey, The Vandals and Vanessa-Mae. ‘Focus 3’ (1972) featured another hit single in ‘Sylvia’ which reached #4 in the UK singles chart and led to an appearance on The Old Grey Whistle Test and Top of the Pops. That year Melody Maker declared him the ‘Best guitarist of the world’, above Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page.
‘Close Beauty’ is the return of the distinctive ‘Akkerman-sound’, which runs like a thread through twelve compositions; acoustic, electric, solo performing and accompanied by his own band, Marijn van den Berg (drums), David de Marez Oyens (bass) and Coen Molenaar (keyboards). Molenaar also produced the album, which was recorded at Marten Haak’s Studio.
Tracklist
1. Spiritual Privacy (Sunset Tango)
2. Beyond The Horizon
3. Reunion
4. Close Beauty
5. Retrospection (Emotional Debris-The Power Behind The Throne-Hear The Trees Whistle For The Dog-Euridice)
6. Passagaglia
7. Tommy's Anniversary
8. Don Giovanni
9. Meanwhile in St. Tropez
10. French Pride
11. Fromage
12. Good Body Every Evening