Kansas-Somewhere To Elsewhere (2000)

In 2000, after nearly 20 years apart, the original members of Kansas reunited to record a new album, much to the delight of their most devoted fans. A lot had changed since 1980's "Audio-Visions", which marked the end of a series of memorable works. While the band, with different lineups, released albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s, all of them were met with some rejection from a segment of their fanbase due to the different musical direction they had taken, moving away from their original progressive rock and American rock sound. Thus followed smaller albums like the mediocre “Vinyl Confessions” (1982) and “Drastic Measures” (1983), concept albums like the commendable “In the Spirit of Things” (1988), and forays into AOR and hard rock sounds such as “Power” (1986) and “Freaks of Nature” (1995). Throughout those years, the constant coming and going of new members was a defining characteristic of Kansas; among others, guitarist Steve Morse, singer John Elefante, violinist David Ragsdale, and bassist Billy Greer joined. It's no wonder, then, that the unprecedented anticipation surrounding the reunion of the band's most classic and successful lineup from Topeka was so high. This included guitarist and driving force Kerry Livgren, along with their longtime vocalist Steve Walsh, bassist Dave Hope, and violinist and singer Robbie Steinhardt. Also present were the only two members who had remained all these years: guitarist Rich Williams and drummer Phil Ehart, with the collaboration of another illustrious member, bassist Billy Greer. Focusing on "Somewhere to Elsewhere", the band attempts to recreate their classic 70s sound, harking back to their roots in their glory days, or at least momentarily. Not only did Kerry Livgren return to the fold as the author of all the material composed on this album and as the leading exponent of guitars and keyboards, but Robbie Steinhardt also solidified his return, resuming a crucial role in the band's new repertoire. Even Dave Hope took on his crucial role as bassist on a couple of tracks. However, it's Billy Greer who handles the majority of the guitar work on this album, even debuting as lead vocalist on "Look at the Time". It would be overly optimistic to claim that the band matches their best 70s recordings with this work; however, this is a brilliant recording that brings back the old vintage Kansas sound that we all thought was buried forever. The album begins with "Icarus II", which, despite references to the original "Icarus" theme from the 1975 album "Masque", is not a simple revision, but a new composition that, in addition to maintaining the epic feel of the previous one, is more introspective and melancholic, even in the heavy, swaying final interlude. The following tracks, “When The World Was Young” and “Grand Fun Alley”, are two powerful, melodic, and catchy rock songs, while “The Coming Dawn” is a beautiful symphonic mid-tempo piece that somehow evokes the classic “Dust in the Wind” from the late 70s. At this point, two tracks emerge that demonstrate the band's epic splendor: “Myriad”, a song that actually dates back to the band's early years but was never included on any of their albums, and “Distant Vision”, which equals the former in beauty, complexity, orchestral delicacy, and evocative passion, both under the influence of Livgren's strong Christian beliefs. In these two tracks, Walsh reminds us what a great vocalist he is and always has been, with those emotional tones that perfectly complement Livgren's intellectual insights. In contrast, the Beatles-esque tracks "Look at the Time" and "Byzantium" are the most extravagant cuts, departing somewhat from Kansas's usual sound, the latter with its exotic atmospheres inspired by Arabic and Turkish traditions. In "DST Blues," the band revels in a superb, catchy blues number, where Reinhardt's vocals and violin shine, while "Not Man Big" is the album's brilliant closer, a truly energetic finale to an album full of intense material, with diverse sonic nuances, resulting in a magnificent work both musically and lyrically.