I still recall when Dexys Midnight Runners appeared on Tiswas in 1980. The much-loved Sally James asked where the band got their name from. When Kevin Rowland said, “You know what Dexys are?”. James sheepishly replied in the affirmative, and soon the conversation moved on.
The whole interview was a clunky process. The band were there after scoring a deserved number 1 single with ‘Geno’. Rowland and Kevin Archer (known as Al at the time) were utterly deadpan despite Tiswas being a carnival of chaos every Saturday morning. This was clearly an unusual and interesting bunch, I thought.
By 1985, they had disbanded. In fairness, they had gone through a significant number of personnel changes during their three-album career. It would be twenty-six years before they would reform and set sail on the choppy waters of the recording industry once more, although Rowland had released two solo albums in the interim.
So, it is now 2023, and Dexys (they’ve dropped the Midnight Runners bit now) are back with only their fifth album of original material, The Feminine Divine. A personal, if not strictly autobiographical, record depicting a man whose opinions on women and masculinity have evolved over time. This is a story of re-education, rehabilitation and reform.
The story starts with a track penned initially by Rowland in 1991. ‘That The One That Loves You’ is a love song with a serving of outdated masculine views. A song with a 70s feel, helped by soul-coated backing vocals, it sets the album off in a musically upbeat way. The song encapsulates Rowland’s view of women at the time – possessor, guardian, minder. “I’m a man, and I love you/I’m your man, and I’ll die to defend you”, asserts Rowland in a display of learnt behaviour. It is this very stance that Rowland has turned away from.
‘It’s Alright Kevin {Manhood 2023}’ begins to unpack how Rowland felt, touching on fears of rejection, loneliness, and inability to love. This is a revamp of the track ‘Manhood’ released as part of the Let’s Make This Precious ‘best of’ album in 2003. Opening with spoken word, the song explodes into a lively soul/disco melody. Utilising segments of call and response in the lyrics, we hear Rowland explain himself. “I’ve tried so hard to be a man/And now I don’t care if I can”, he expounds. There is also some lovely piano work throughout this track, which gives it a bit of a Madness feel.
Next up, you are cordially invited to feel as if you are listening to a classic Hollywood musical. A song all about breaking free from previous behaviour and attitudes, ‘I’m Going to Get Free’ is a big explosion of Rowland turning his life around, discarding his well-worn and unhelpful mask. Cheered on by the backing vocalists, it recreates the feeling Julie Andrews embraced when singing ‘I Have Confidence’ in The Sound of Music.
Keeping the disco feel upfront and centre, ‘Coming Home’ explores the protagonist’s return to their true self. Another song written in the early 90s represents a time when Rowland said he felt lost and desperately searching for something to guide him from the wilderness. Thoroughly beaten, he reappraised everything in his life and eventually found his way out of the mire. The only thing this song is missing is a ticker-tape parade. String up the bunting gay; the song’s protagonist is coming home today!
The album’s title track represents Rowland’s epiphany, the turning point where he begins to see things with different values and beliefs. A chunky, thumpy funk track, Rowland elucidates his view on patriarchal attitudes. “I was brought up to believe all of this bullshit/Women were repressed – everyone was a mess/Men didn’t know what the fuck to do/So we controlled, we bullied, and we blamed it all on you”, he spits out like someone standing at a lectern addressing a rally. The song is punctuated by a female vocal, provided by Maddy Read Clarke, admonishing the protagonist and repeating, “So now you know”. Oddly, Rowland’s voice sounds like a cross between Shaun Ryder and Bob Dylan on this track. I don’t know why, but that threw me on the first listen. Crucially, it is the album’s stand-out track.
This brings us to the halfway mark. The first five songs tell us the story of leaving the past behind and eventually finding contentment. Mistakes have been made and learned from. The future will see a different attitude. Masculinity is checked at the door, and femininity is embraced. This leads us into the second half of the tale… The remaining four tracks on the album see Rowland adopt a very submissive posture. There is a very different feel, both lyrically and musically, to this half of the record. I’m confident it will divide opinion.
A filthy funk sound gives ‘My Goddess Is’ a sultry feel. The song feels like a mantra as Rowlands regularly repeats, “My Goddess is/My Goddess is/My Goddess is/She’s everything to me”. It flips the dynamic of toxic masculinity as Rowland adopts the ‘old-fashioned’ female position within a relationship. “My Goddess, she tells me I’m her bitch/Makes me serve her every need/And scratch her every itch”, Rowland happily pronounces.
Next is a two-handed spoken word performance over a heavy 80s synth backing track. Kamaria Castang takes up a role with the essence of a dominatrix as she tells Rowland how it will be between them. “I’m not convinced you’re ready to surrender/I want you to convince me”, Castang asks Rowland. This song can be viewed in the broader context of the female of the species rather than one specific woman, and vice-versa.
Keeping the listener on its melodic toes, a piano ballad in the form of ‘My Submission’ appears next. As strings appear later in the track, along with Rowland’s unique vocal stylings, it creates a feel similar to Jeff Buckley’s version of ‘Hallelujah’, but without the emotional stab through the chest felt by his interpretation of the Leonard Cohen penned classic.
Last off the rank is ‘Dance With Me’, a slice of electro-soul which made me think of early Sade. Placing the female on a pedestal, it suggests the acceptance of an open relationship. “And now I’m all alone, you’ve gone into the night/I’m thinking about you now as somebody holds you tight/Can’t wait to see you again and hear about your night/I hope you’ll take that love, cos it’s your god-given right”, Rowland declares. Suggesting that a woman should not be tamed nor controlled, he has completely spun his earlier attitudes and emotions around.
The concept of The Feminine Divine is something to applaud. Many are unwilling to alter their opinions and mindsets about numerous topics, including women, let alone tackle them head-on in a very public way. Rowland has challenged his views and emerged as a different person. Whilst the latter part of the album sees a huge change in the protagonist’s attitudes, Rowland is not suggesting he wants to go to the other extreme as such. He demonstrates that the main character (which contains a hefty wedge of Rowland) is now open to new thoughts, ideas and adventures. He is a changed person who has seen there can be a different way. A better way. Life can be full of wonder if you allow yourself to see it.
The album certainly makes you uncomfortable at times. Rowland has penned provocative and occasionally unsettling lyrics for us to chew on. Songs like ‘I’m Going to Get Free’ and ‘The Feminine Divine’ will stick with you. You’ll enjoy their vibrance, their passion. By flipping the mood of the album halfway through, it feels disjointed. Although the story arc flows throughout, the sonic change is jarring. Think of it as less of an album and more a piece of performance art – possibly containing some interpretive dance at selected points.
This album will be loved by some and derided by others. It is not a body of work that sits in the middle ground. It is not the Dexys way. Musically, it is sometimes entertaining, occasionally confused, and sometimes quite evocative. Lyrically, we are treated to some passages of thought-provoking writing interspersed with less stimulating prose. For me, the album did not live up to the sum of its parts.
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