THE WAIT OF GLORY

Proto Kaw blew me away with their previous album "Before became after" and I was eager to hear the long awaited follow up. To make a long story short : The wait of glory is another fine album with inspired melodies that appeal to everyone who like the melodic side of this genre. Strange enough the ghost of Kansas is more present here than ever before especially on the first three tracks. Most of the time the atmosphere has a laid back feel but the music is interrupted several times by bombastic instrumental excerpts in the Kansas vein. There's an orchestral sound popping up every now and then which gives a full blown sound. There's also an eastern influence in some of the orchestration. Both this and the use of exotic percussion adds to the diversity of the sound of this record. The pastoral atmosphere sounds even more smooth on calm, slow tracks like "The vigil" & "On the eve of the great decline". Here the focus is on the beautiful melodies, provided by the splendid voice of Lynn Meredith. I just can't believe he's been silent all these years between Proto Kaw and the first Kansas incarnation. Combined with the philosophical lyrics, he seems to move me several times. On this album he shares some of the vocal duties with Jake Livgren who has been added to the line-up since the release of BBA. His voice sounds rather raw which makes it suitable for a wild rock track like "Melicus gladiator" that would have fitted on a Kansas record.

But Proto Kaw also stands for adventurous musical twists and turns. Though not entirely instrumental, tracks like "Physic" or "old number 63" are exciting jazzy jam sections with a party feel to it. This shows the musical capabilities of the players at their best. The vivid way this sounds comes close to their live performances. Same thing for the instrumental Osvaldo's groceries". On these tracks the sax parts from John Bolton are essential to the mix of progressive rock, jazz rock & psychedelic rock. On the first tracks he plays the flute which adds a folkish element to the music, somewhat reminiscent to Jethro Tull. "Picture this" is obviously the highlight of the album. This shows what this band is capable of. You'll find a rich musical atmosphere wrapped around an optimistic, yet reflective, lyric. Somewhere in the middle there's a really nice interlude sung by Jake. Also the emotional ending part is truly wonderful. I wouldn't have dreamed this pearl wasn't included on "The wait of glory". You'll find more of these atmospheric gems on the previous record and maybe this leaves me a bit disappointing. This album sounds a bit too even, especially the first part of the record is getting too soft sometimes and some excerpts are simply too long. Moreover I have the feeling I've heard it all before.

The bonus track "One fine day" is also worth mentioning due to the soul and pop influences, the harmonic vocals and the splendid melody. The sound of a blazer section in a pop song is reminding me of a band like Toto.

Conclusion : The songs on this record are extremely well crafted & the melodies are inspired. Those who liked "BBA" will like this one as well but will find a band failing to maintain the refreshing effect of that album. Still this is a very good album. If you like melodic progressive rock, Kansas & fusion, you definitely need to check this out by listening to this record or seeing them performing live. You can catch a glimpse of what to expect of a live performance on the bonus dvd which is included on the special edition of "The wait of glory".