Kansas
' 2000 album
Somewhere to Elsewhere
is notable because it's the first recording by the original six members in almost 20 years. Joining vocalist
Steve Walsh
, guitarist
Richard Williams
, vocalist/violinist
Robby Steinhardt
, longtime bassist
Billy Greer
, and drummer
Phil Ehart
are original guitarist/keyboardist
Kerry Livgren
and original bassist
Dave Hope
.
Livgren
wrote all ten songs.
features the innovative dynamics, and long songs, of
' early work while maintaining a crisply modern production sound.
"Icarus II"
is a marvelously intricate epic about bomber pilots; the bright piano and violin lines give way to blistering heavy metal guitar symbolizing a bombing attack.
"When the World Was Young"
is a groovy rocker with
Walsh
contributing a broad range of vocal tones. The richly moving
"The Coming Dawn (Thanatopsis)"
alternates between subdued and bombastic passages with
Steinhardt
's violin leading the way. The complex, nine-minute
"Myriad"
is arguably the most "progressive rock" moment on the album.
Greer
gets his first ever
lead vocal on the easygoing
"Look at the Time."
sings on
"Disappearing Skin Tight Blues,"
an unusual song with clever but uncharacteristic rhyming lyrics and '50s-like vocal group harmonies.
"Distant Vision,"
another nine-minute piece, features
's trademark: spiritual lyrics.
"Not Man Big"
has an oddly powerful, loose tempo and bitter lyrics about human folly. A short, goofy singalong acoustic studio jam is included as a hidden bonus track. Technology directly affected the recording of
in a rather unsettling way.
wasn't in the studio with the rest of the band. He was also working on a solo album at the time so he burned his vocals on CDs and traded them back and forth with
. Portions of the album's profits will be donated to the World War II Memorial Fund. ~ Bret Adams