A chance for artists to work with their peers is often reason enough to get back into the studio. It’s been over a decade since Billy Idol released an album that was not comprised of remixes. He uses Dream Into It as a chance to pair up with musicians he admires. The likes of Joan Jett and Avril Lavigne appearing for cameo appearances on this album is no surprise, but it does add a rich layer of detail to Idol’s ninth studio effort. Easy it may be to see Idol as a forgotten moment of 1980s culture; the Stanmore-born artist is having a renaissance with this release. It’s a similar fate for Marc Almond and John Cale, artists whose work has gotten better as time goes on. Idol may be far from The Velvet Underground’s former member but Dream Into It has a consistency and openness to it which comes from being honest with a listener. Few pop acts of the time are doing that now.
Idol is a credit to a slow thaw of faceless pop names putting their heart on the line. He may still sound reserved on the title track, which also serves as the opener, but it’s at least a sincere work. Lavigne’s appearance is preceded by an instrumental tone which suits her usual genre undertakings more than it does Idol. Still, 77 is a nice flourish of light pop rock, which benefits from that vocal overlap. Too Much Fun is stunningly open, but even then, openness does not placate softer instrumental touches. A straight-to-the-point song does not need to rid itself of instrumental interest. It sounds like a pale imitation of the pop punk tone of the times. Give it a few years and it’ll sound relatively dated. But again, Idol giving it his all in revisiting his past with a bluntness usually reserved for train ticket inspectors, is quite remarkable. Few are doing this, and fewer still are getting it right. It’s the latter bit Idol needs to work on.
Dream Into It may be an emotional overhaul, but much of it feels relatively tame. Instrumentally, it’s a bit quiet, often to Idol’s detriment. Wildside is a chance to hear the wilder flourish. Pair him with Joan Jett and, on paper, it’s a riotous, electric thrill. Music isn’t made on paper, though; it’s stuck in the studio with a turgid sound dripping from the speakers. Easy-listening music still has its hooks in Idol. There’s no way to make up for lost time, and the way to do it is not soft rock-like experiences on People I Love. Heart and apologies only get you so far. Dream Into It is built on that and the growth of Idol as a person. That’s fantastic to hear, but the music has not grown alongside him. It’s a common moment in music where the artist can be applauded for the shift in their life, but ridiculed for the plainness of the music pairing with that message.
Goodwill is what keeps Dream Into It alive, though that dries up pretty soon after the start of the album. It’s nothing Idol is doing poorly, just what he fails to overhaul with this new inspiration for a brighter, lighter future. He sounds sincere and concerned for how he is perceived on I’m Your Hero. Basic contrast from his writing and the title is what keeps this fire burning, where the back and forth from an influential figure trying to work on his latest album is brought to the forefront. Album closer Still Dancing is an inevitability of this. A chance to be thrilled by the creative pursuit which continues irrespective of the genre changes, of the adaptations made by artists who evolved while Idol was away from music. He has not yet caught up to them, but there are signs of life on Dream Into It.
