ALWAYS NEVER THE SAME

It´s strange that the band would choose a Beatles cover for the album opener. "Eleanor Rigby" seems to start quite abruptly and this is already a sore point. I would have thought that withThe London Symphonic Orchestra they could have had at least some sort of prelude to set the mood. It´s a great song but this version on here is pretty average.

"Dust in the wind" sounds very good and Steve Walsh´s voice suddenly sounds like it was way back in the seventies. (Crystal clear acoustic guitar by Williams)

"Preamble" is a prelude to "Song for America" and this is how the album should have started. The way it changes into "Song for America" is really majestic and beautiful.

Steve Walsh sounds really good on "Need to know" and "Nobody´s Home" (as with "Dust in the wind" and "Song for America")

However, there are songs on this album where he is really straining his voice and at one point (during "Hold On") one could swear that they are listening to Joe Cocker!

Another observation is the timing in "Cheyenne Anthem" and "Hold On" during the quieter moments. I could almost picture the band nodding and counting the bars for when to come in! It sounds quite awkward and makes it an uncomfortable listening experience (especially for someone who has grown up listening to these classic Kansas songs)

The strong point about this album is that it contains a lot of Kansas´s classics, so the songwriting is excellent. The weak point is the way some of these songs are executed, particularly with regards to Steve Walsh´s voice. The best tracks are "Dust in the wind" , "Preamble", "Song for America", "Need to know" and "Nobody´s home"

I still feel that "Freaks of Nature" was their best album during the nineties (I gave it four stars) But, with "Always never the same" it can be summed up as good, but not essential.