Customer Reviews

Brave New World

5 star:		(116)
4 star:		(53)
3 star:		(29)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(30)

 

 

I've waited 16 years for a new studio album from Styx that included Tommy. I must admit I was a little disappointed the first time I listened to the CD. The 2nd time I liked it 3x as much and it just kept getting better.

This is definitely a CD that grows on you. This is a result of expecting to hear "OLD" Styx right where they left off. This isn't realistic for a band that is trying to play music for the children of their biggest fans. After listening to the Album several times I found a nice blend of vintage Styx combined with new sound and technology.

I was a little disappointed that Dennis didn't have any heavier sounding songs i.e. (Queen of Spades) but this has been his trend. Tommy and J.Y. have produced some great rockers.

I figured the best way to give this album a fair rating was to play it for other people who weren't Styx fans. Most of them were the same as me. They liked it better the more they heard it.

It's sad that this album receives virtually no air time on the radio. I'm confident that songs such as Everything's Cool and Brave New World would be enjoyed by listeners and requested if given a chance. It seems most radio stations are too busy playing their same songs every 2 and 1/2 hours that the record companies are promoting them to.

I saw the band in Detroit and they still know how to rock even without Dennis. He is still missed though and I hope to see his return. After all, what's Styx without Dennis Deyoung? I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of people at the concert that indicated they were seeing the band for the first time. There was a wide range of ages that included a lot more young ones than I expected.

Overall, I think this CD is obviously a must for Styx fans, but will be enjoyed by anyone who likes rock and roll and gives it a fair chance. I suspect most of the negative reviews came from people who listened to the CD just once or twice and put it away after they didn't immediately hear something that sounded like Grand Illusion.

Here's to hoping we are able to hear another 20 years of Styx.

I was a bit surprised to see a lot of the mediocre to downright awful reviews of this album. I've had "Brave New World" since it first came out, and I still listen to it often. It's just a great Styx album, although a little bittersweet being DDY's last gig with the band. Whether you'll like this album comes down to what type of Styx fan you are. If you're a big Dennis fan, you may be a bit disappointed. His participation seems limited to the ballads (personal fave: "Fallen Angel"), by his own doing or not, I don't know. I think the people who will enjoy this album are the ones who swing more towards the Tommy Shaw/JY side of things. There's lots of guitar driven songs ("Heavy Water," "Everything Is Cool"), lots of Tommy singing, and a couple of songs co-written by Jack Blades (which is great IMO). I think the whole thing comes together beautifully.
A lot of people have said there is no way this disc can stand up to the classic Styx records. I disagree. I have absolutely no difficulty listening to this record ride beside "Pieces Of Eight" of "The Grand Illusion."

Styx was one of those bands that I "cut my teeth" on, if you will. When I was 5 or 6 years old, I remember listening to "Kilroy Was Here" all the time with my brother and sister, along with other albums including "Metal Health" by Quiet Riot.

Anyway, I was surprised to hear that they released a new record in 1999. Ironically enough, I bought an autographed copy of this CD at a concert of theirs at the South Dakota State Fair back in 2000. Regardless of what people say about them, Styx puts on one heck of a show. The only song they performed off this disc was "Everything Is Cool", which was their opener. The rest of their songs were their all-time classics that you can hear on their "Greatest Hits" package from 1995. Sadly, Dennis DeYoung was not part of the tour; he was kicked out before they went on the road. In fact, the only two "original" members were James Young and Tommy Shaw. That was slightly disappointing in the beginning. However, it quickly dissolved the more they played. Great sound!

Overall, this CD is pretty good for all intensive purposes. No groundbreaking tracks, and certainly nothing new. Then again, long-time Styx fans would expect nothing else. They mostly keep their traditional sound and song style, with some small experimentation in modernizing their stuff. My top tracks are "Brave New World", "Everything Is Cool", "Number One", and "Best New Face". It's not a CD to start with if your new to Styx, but it will be a nice addition to your collection if you've followed them over the years. It's too bad their 2003 follow up, "Cyclorama", was not near as good.

I like storysongs and Brave New World certainly fits the bill. And this album shows they've still got it! From the almost gospel-like Goodbye To Roseland to a sixties-style Just Fell In, they once again show their versatility and talent. Want an energy song to listen to on your way home from work? Best New Face, volume cranked, will definitely help you put your day behind you as you cruise home (or just simply cruise). While There's Still Time is a thought-provoking balad, especially for us boomers. Fallen Angel takes a look at all the "heroes" who truly aren't, showing them for what they truly are: people with problems just like the rest of us. Their voices still blend as well as they ever have, they can still write, they are still first-rate musicians. I've been a Styx fan for many years and this effort did not disappoint me at all.

Styx has always been an incredible band with a flair for social awareness. This album carries on in that tradition. The vocal work is top-notch, as one would expect from Styx, and the instrumental work is also without compare. The album features a wide range of styles, from the heavy metal onslaught of 'Heavy Water', to the soft ballad 'While There's Still Time', the Top 40 sound of 'I Will Be Your Witness' to the art-rock of the title track, Styx successfully tries their hands at a wide range of music. This diversity of style proves that Styx is not just some 70's band that's stuck in the past. STYX IS BACK!

If you like the creative influence Tommy Shaw brings to Styx, you'll love this CD. This isn't a rehashing of old material - it is the evolution of a popular band from the 70s, allowing Mr. Shaw the creative leeway he deserves. Give it a spin, you won't be disappointed.

I bought this CD back in October and listened to it on a 5 hour drive to a friend's house. Halfway home, I found that I left it there. It took my friend 2 attempts to mail it to me and now 2 months later I have the CD back. My first thought to the music on the CD was that it was okay, but not GREAT! I felt there was a lot of Tommy Shaw and JY doing the songs together and not enough of all 3 (Shaw, DeYoung, and Young) together. I found out that Shaw and Young were mixing it at one studio and DeYoung was mixing at another. After getting the CD back, it was like listening to it for the first time again, But only Better! The more I listen to it, the more I enjoy the entire CD...not just 1 or 2 songs, but the whole thing! It reminds me a lot of Paradise Theatre, with it's theme running through the entire album. I have been a STYX fan since Grand Illusion came out and I had always wished they would get back together. I am really glad they did! Their mixing of the old sound with the new sound is great. Their musical talent has matured with age and experience. This is definitely an excellent CD and a must for everyone who is a STYX fan!

Hats off to Tommy Shaw for putting the edge back into Styx's music which is clearly their best effort since Paradise Theatre. This album has some excellent moments including, I Will Be Your Witness, BNW, Fallen Angel, Number One, Everything is Cool, and Goodbye to Roseland. Best New Face is also a great track, and is different for this Styx lineup - sounds very poppy - cool tune.

Sounds good??? Not totally. I agree with other reviewers on what is a major determinant holding this back from being a 5 star review. I bought this album the day it was released because I've been waiting for 15 odd years for Dennis and Tommy to get back into the studio again and actually "work" together. If this has happened, it doesn't come through here. It actually sounds like 2 different records at times because of production techniques and other studio nuances. I've never experienced anything like it when listening to an album. The guys either had other commitments, were ill (Dennis), or simply thought they could record 1/2 the album on one side of the country, and the rest somewhere else. In interviews, I've heard Styx members say the whole was better than the sum of the individual parts. Unfortunately, they didn't listen to themselves.

I don't believe you have to be a hard core Styx fan to enjoy this album. If you like music from the era Styx came from, this is an excellent choice. This doesn't mean this is a dinosaur recording at all. There is an updated sound, which shows the guys are still musically growing -let's just keep our fingers crossed that they decide to sit in the same state when they go to record again. Overall, get the record...it is still very much worth it to hear one of the best American bands on the same CD again.

I am most pleased with this album. The songs are as eclectic in style as any other Styx album. The title song is fast becoming my all time favorite Styx song even over Crystal Ball! It is hauntingly beautiful. If you a diehard Styx fan you MUST include this cd in your collection.

I was hoping for some DeYoung/Shaw co-written compositions, but the album has Shaw and James Young co-written songs and not one Shaw/DeYoung tune. This makes it a little harder and less artistic than some of their classic works. Additionally, as someone else says in another review, it sounds as if a DeYoung solo project was mixed in with a Shaw/Young project. There is little flow.

The band has concerns that current audiences don't have the time or patience to sit through an 8 minute song, but you'd think they wouldn't be afraid to put at least one on the disc.

That said, there are some future classics on this CD, with "Heavy Water" possibly being JY's biggest contribution since "Miss America". DeYoung's "While There's Still Time" is a fantastic remake of his song from the Hunchback musical, and the title track, "Brave New World", as Tommy Shaw has said, "is as Styx as Styx ever was."

The "Reprise" is very catchy, but radio would never play it as a single because it belongs in the context of the whole CD.

Overall, not their best work, but very welcome by those of us who have been waiting for this studio reunion for over 15 years.