SOMEWHERE TO ELSEWHERE

I'm sure when this album came out in 2000, Wheatheads (A name Kansas fans call themselves) saw the line-up which includes the classic 70's players plus Greer, all cheered! Starting with track one, a sequel to an older track Icarus II, your heart may soar and you may shout, "Yes, they are back!". Well, I'm sorry to dash your hopes, but the album is a mixed bag. Sure, there are some very strong tracks, the afternamed "Icarus II" with some modern prog riffing, and Ronnie's violin playing it is a good start. Then it gets a bit choppy, with "When The World Was Young", Grand Fun Alley" and "Disappearing Skin Tight Blues" you get the obligatory blues tinged rockers, not my cup of tea so to speak, especially when Kansas can prog with the best of them. Some songs, like "The Coming Dawn" a nice ballad, "Look At The Time" a Beatlesque song and "Byzantium" a middle-eastern style song are fine, it's songs like the awesome "Myriad" and "Distant Vision" that harken back to the classic 70's. More please! So, in a sense, "Somewhere to Elsewhere" is a good album but not as essential as the classic's from the 70's.