COMING UP FOR AIR

Kayak's 'Coming Up For Air' is a very decent progressive pop record. The band had reformed in 2000 and released some very strong symphonic prog / crossover prog records, the latest of them being concept albums. On this album the band seemed to tune down its progressive ideals quite a lot, in stead focusing on the melodic pop like the band had made in their '77 - '80 period - in which Edward Reekers was also the band's lead vocalist. He now shares his spot with Cindy Oudshoorn, who never fails to amaze. On this album Kayak seems to have a ordinary pop song between every melodic crossover prog song. Had the album been made up of 40 minutes of its best material, it would have been significantly stronger. Songs like the opener 'Alienation', 'Man in the Cocoon', the piano ballad 'Daughter of the Moon' and the hardrock title song 'Coming Up For Air' are all great.