Dennis' 2 cd set is 23 live songs and 3 new studio songs. This cd adds a symphony orchestra to his music, to great results. Released in 03, four years before Styx would release their live symphony cd. Were Styx used the orchestra to rock up the songs, Dennis uses them to add the arrangements. Dennis' songs were always written to have an orchestra added to them. Just listen to the original version of The Best Of Times, and tell me you can't hear this song without an orchestra in it. And Dennis has other songs that have the same feel to them.
The cd starts off the Bombastic Grand Illusion, and you can tell that this cd is going to be great! This song was great before, now it is even better. And it keeps going, Lady the next song up, has an extended instrumental in it. And some of the songs lead off or have in it, classical songs blended into them, and this seems like a natural extension of the song.
The vocaled Show Me The Way is awesome. Black Wall, which is not one of the DeYoung songs that I like, sounds great with an orchestra. I have always liked the message, but for some reason the music on it seemed flat. But here is full and sharp.
Castle Walls was haunting on the Grand Illusion cd, and here it even seems like it is something out of the middle ages. Makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
Suite Madame Blue and Desert Moon are just awesome. With Every Heartbeat which was another song that could have been better on the original cd, is stunning here.
The only song that does not hold up with an symphony is Rockin The Paradise. It just doesn't rock. The horns kill it.
A very good live cd, well worth the money!
As for the new songs, it is a mixed bag.
Goodnight My Love is the weak song of the bunch. It is not a bad song, but it is not good. Typical of Dennis here lately. I think Dennis has forgotten how to rock. He can write a ballad with eyes closed and his ears plugged up, and it would still be a good song. Goodnight is a good song, but for Dennis, good is not good enough.
My God Can Beat Up Your God, is a rock song, but here again it just doesn't have the punch it needs. Again it is still a good song, but Dennis seems to be saying I need a rock song so here you go. Both songs have good lyrics, but just misses the mark on the music level.
Hello God is awesome, lyrically and musically. This is the Dennis I know. He pushed hisself on this song and the result was great.
All I can say is BUY THIS CD!!!!
Grade A-
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