ALWAYS NEVER THE SAME

This was a really strange album for Kansas, and not a particularly memorable time for the band. They were coming off a big disappointment after the release of 'Freaks of Nature', which most of the band thought was going to be their reemergence as a major American act. It wasn't even close. Singer/keyboardist Steve Walsh had gone through rehab after a substance abuse meltdown in Atlanta and had been temporarily replaced on tour (he would relapse and have another meltdown just as the studio sessions for this album were wrapping up). Violinist/guitarist/singer/songwriter David Ragsdale had moved on after 'Freaks', as had keyboardist Greg Robert. Violinist Robbie Steinhardt was back with the band after nearly a fifteen year absence, but his presence on this release is largely on vocals with fairly tepid violin work in front of the London Symphony Orchestra, which supplements the band on every track. This lineup is two-thirds of the original band, and would be their last personnel changes until Steinhardt would leave by mutual consent in 2006.

Walsh's voice starts off a bit husky, and deteriorates rapidly as the album progresses. He doesn't sound quite as bad as he did on the 'Live at the Whiskey' from a few years prior, but he is definitely struggling to find his range, and often missing it. Drummer Phil Ehart seems to struggle a bit to keep in time with the orchestra, especially on the more languid portions of the album. The overall timing here is just a bit awkward. Guitarist Rich Williams and bass player Billy Greer, on the other hand, are both pretty solid throughout, although on many of the more well-known works ("The Wall", "Cheyenne Anthem") there are some very tasty guitar bits that have been replaced with uninspired orchestral movements. Finally, the backing vocals here are just weird. In several places it sounds like Walsh has overdubbed his lead vocals with himself on backing. Robbie's vocals are quite distinctive and you either love them or you don't, but I will say that he seems a bit rusty at times, particularly on "Cheyenne Anthem" and on backing vocals for "Miracles out of Nowhere".

That's not to say there aren't some solid moments here. I seem to be in the minority in really liking the version of "Eleanor Rigby" that the band opens with. Sure, Kansas isn't known for cover tunes (name any others that they've recorded - J.J. Cale's "Bringing it Back" and "Ghost Riders in the Sky" are the only two I can think of). But it kicks things off like some of the early albums - unexpected, upbeat, and rocking. Walsh's voice is as good as it gets anywhere else on the album, and the orchestra has an arrangement that they are clearly comfortable with, unlike several of the Kansas standards that would follow.

"Dust in the Wind" is okay, but really this is a song that is made for strings, strings, and more strings. It's a mystery to me why there isn't about a 40 or 50 seat violin/cello deafening blast of strings on this song. I think the band missed a real opportunity here, especially considering this was released as one of two singles for the album.

The instrumental preamble to "Song for America" is pretty good, even if it kind of sounds like the opening music for a science fiction film, or maybe a Moody Blues album. And "Song for America" itself comes out quite nicely with the orchestral backing blending well with a pretty straightforward rendition by the band. The orchestra does a great job of capturing the magnificence that Kerry Livgren intended when he wrote this one twenty years prior.

Walsh manages to put together a new song with "In Your Eyes", and he keeps his vocals in conservative range so the overall sound is pretty good, plus Williams and Steinhardt complement each other well on guitar and violin.

The lead-in for "Miracles Out of Nowhere" just make me wince, because I know Walsh is going to try and hit the high ones here, and that he won't manage to pull it off, and he doesn't. Still, there's something about the arrangement here that takes me way back to the seventies every time I hear it, really a reminiscent tune. The violin helps quite a bit. This is one of a couple tunes where the horns are out-of-place though, and should have been left out.

The messiest track on the album is "Hold On", originally released on 1980's 'Audio- Visions'. Walsh's voice is just haggard, and the backing vocals sound more like Spock's Beard then Spock's Beard does. This is a great song, but it just doesn't wear well with time.

"The Sky is Falling" has some great guitar work, both acoustic and electric, and Walsh sounds quite a bit like he did in his first solo album 'Schemer-Dreamer'. This isn't really a Kansas-sounding tune, but a decent effort nonetheless.

I've already commented on "Cheyenne Anthem", one of my favorite Kansas songs but not handled well here. The echo effect on Steinhardt's opening vocals is just cheesy, and the extended instrumental section would have benefited with less from the horn section and more guitar from Williams. This really sounds more like a Disney soundtrack than it does a Kansas song, which is too bad because this arrangement was really made for a strong symphonic treatment ? this just isn't that treatment.

The prelude/introduction that leads up to "The Wall" is really more of a recital on the part of the orchestra than anything from the band. In fact, there isn't much of the band to hear. But "The Wall" itself is worth the wait, especially with the cello and double-bass parts toward the ending climax. Very well done, and even the horn section can't screw this one up.

There's one more Walsh composition, "Need to Know", which is pretty slow and doesn't feature the orchestra too much, but is instead a kind of ballad-like piece that picks up a bit of steam as it chugs along. Walsh's voice is pretty clear for the most part, although even here he manages to get raspy on the more powerful parts. Overall though this is a pretty decent inclusion.

Finally, "Nobody's Home" from 'Point of Know Return' closes out the album. This is another song that was made for orchestral accompaniment, and the London Symphony doesn't disappoint. Walsh's vocal inflections are a bit odd, but the string section captures the really spectacular violin parts of this song well. Like "Dust in the Wind" though, I thought the sound mix could have been a bit cleaner and given more separation between the strings and piano. This is a small complaint however, as is the slightly goofy spacey-sounding synthesizer ending. Neither takes much away from a very solid ending to the album.

It's actually too bad that there wasn't a stronger effort to really build up the symphonic blending of the Livgren tunes here with such a capable orchestra. This is a decent album, but I have to believe it could have been spectacular if the song selection would have favored more Livgren compositions, and perhaps even if a few tracks could have been converted to purely instrumental ("Cheyenne Anthem" especially). Overall this isn't essential by any means, but it isn't bad either. I think three stars is warranted, with a disclaimer that Walsh's voice borders on a distraction at times, and the band could have done better had they not been dealing with some of the personal issues that affected them at the time. But it is what it is, and Kansas fans who have not heard this one will probably enjoy it for the most part.

peace