The Feminine Divine

The Feminine Divine is the sixth studio album by English pop rock band Dexys, released on 28 July 2023 by 100% Records. The tracks were written by Kevin Rowland, Sean Read, Mike Timothy and Jim Paterson, and the album was produced by Pete Schwier and Toby Chapman. It is the group's first album of original songs since One Day I'm Going to Soar in 2012, and their first album in seven years since Let the Record Show in 2016.

The album's lead single, "I'm Going to Get Free", was released on 3 April 2023. An accompanying promotional video, featuring Rowland dancing along Bethnal Green Road, was directed by Guy Myhill. The song was originally written by Rowland and Paterson in the early 1990s. The song "It's Alright Kevin (Manhood 2023)" is a reworking of "Manhood", a song that Rowland performed on television in 1993 and later recorded for Let's Make This Precious: The Best of Dexys Midnight Runners (2003).

"Coming Home", "My Submission" and title track "The Feminine Divine" were also released as teasers for the album, the first two accompanied by videos.

The album entered the UK Official Albums Chart at number 6, making it the band's highest-charting album in over 30 years.

Background and recording
Following the release of Let the Record Show: Dexys Do Irish and Country Soul by Dexys in 2016, the band's frontman Rowland lacked ideas for new music for at least three years. In 2021, however, he started writing and producing demos for songs that he had composed with Read, Timothy and Paterson. The following year, studio recordings were made in venues including Read's Famous Times studio in Hackney, London, Chapman's studio in Catford, and Timothy's studio in Willesden. Both actual and synthesized instruments were used. After tensions between Rowland and Chapman threatened to derail the sessions, Pete Schwier, who had previously co-produced Dexys recordings, was engaged to work with the group and Chapman, and work on the album was completed.

Official press materials to publicise the album described it as "A personal, if not strictly autobiographical, record portraying a man whose views have evolved over time. Not just on women, but the whole concept of masculinity he had been raised with." Rowland told Harriet Gibsone of The Guardian that a trip to Thailand, where he learnt about Tao, had been significant for him: "Through Tao, I learned about the concept of women as goddesses. I realised that women are powerful. Until then, I'd never really tried to understand them. That's quite an incredible admission, really." Rowland explained that the first five songs of the album have a narrative where the narrator expresses different attitudes towards a relationship. in the fifth song, the title track, "he examines his relationships with women, and he sees that he's been sadly lacking". The remaining tracks concern a new relationship after this insight.

The album's cover art features an illustration inspired by Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and fire. A supporting tour, of theatre venues, was organised, with the band intending to play the entire album live. Rowland told Tina Benitez-Eves of American Songwriter that the group would "theatrically perform the songs — act them out".

Critical reception
The Feminine Divine received a score of 77 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on four critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reception. Uncut felt that "the group confidently flits between low-key funk, lush symphonic Philly soul and the more punchy post-Motown dance grooves of Chairmen of the Board", with "the constant being Rowland's powerfully assured vocal delivery of his mea culpa confessionals". Record Collector's Shaun Curran wrote that the first half has a "recognisably Dexys feel: full of blaring brass, soul-inflections, Rowland's histrionic vocals and something of the musical theatre of 2012's One Day I'm Going to Soar", calling the second half "a striking electronic makeover". He concluded that "if the premise is laid on a bit thick – Rowland never does things by halves – at least torch song My Submission is the most beautiful thing Dexys have ever done".

Mojo's David Hutcheon wrote that "the second half – 'a saucy, synth-heavy cabaret' – will undoubtedly lose a few fans, yet Rowland still manages to pull a gem out of the fire with the touching 'My Submission'". Simon Heavisides of The Line of Best Fit concluded that the album "can't match those first three deathless classic albums and falls just below the convincing return that was One Day I'm Going to Soar. Still, there's enough of their unique brilliance on display to make this a qualified victory".