Vinyl Vault — Focus, “Mother Focus”

To kick off the new year, the Vinyl Vault will feature an album from the Dutch group Focus, their 1975 album entitled “Mother Focus,” the group’s fifth album. The band was generally known as a progressive rock band, and they even had a hit in the early ‘70s with “Hocus Pocus” which featured beaucoup yodeling. Rather than the intricacies and bombast of most progressive rock, Focus decided to go with a more relaxed and acoustic sound on “Mother Focus.” And very little yodeling.

Focus was led by guitarist Jan Akkerman and keyboardist/flutist Thijs Van Leer, both of whom issued several solo albums. For “Mother Focus,” the band also included Bert Rutter on bass and David Kemper on drums. Most Focus albums saw Akkerman on his electric guitars, but on this one, his focus was primarily on the acoustic guitar.

The generally laid-back sound incorporated elements of jazz, rock, funk, and a little classical music. It will be a great way to ease back into the world of work after the holidays.

Join Geoff Anderson for Focus on the next Vinyl Vault, on Tuesday, January 2 at 8:30 pm on KUVO JAZZ.

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