FREAKS OF NATURE

"Freaks of Nature" was teh studio album in which the return of Kansas for the 90s began to take full shape. Yo ucan tell that the refurbished band was prepared to take back the ideals of musical cleverness in a prog context while maintaining the essential intention of sounding fresh and renewed. The influence of prog metal has been received by the band with taste and good disposition, as it is obvious in the opener,tracks 2 and 4 and the powerful namesake track. 'I Can Fly' is really incendiary, with a Walsh that cannot hide his graspy vocal tone but also cannot deny his genuine passion that still makes him one of the finest performers in the USA's prog scene. The hard rocking first section and last sections are intertwined by an epic interlude built by the dialogue between violin and two keyboards emulating orchestra, harp and the sound of a storming wind. 'Desperate Times' and 'Black Fathom 4' are less epic but equally robust, which is mostly due to the prominent presnece of the guitar riffs and the sense of energy that Ragsdale can (as if effortlessly) create with his violin. Phil Ehart also deserves a special mention regarding his drumming functions for these two tracks: arguably, his best input for the album are comprised here. The least complex of teh rockier songs is the namesake one, but far from trivial, it sets an example of how Kansas can easily retrace its core nucleus and search for effective songs guised in an old-fashioned Kansas style. The only trivial song in this album is the mid-tempo ballad 'Need', which sounds too related to the standards of AOR. More majestic are these other two mid-tempo songs: 'Hope Once Again' and 'Under the Knife'. Both are proper vehicles for Walsh's passionate singing and Ragsdale's soaring violin chops: these two elements lead the way for the whole ensemble in the building of genuinely emotional atmospheres. Although Livgren is not a band member, he is present with the song 'Cold Gray Morning', which is very much in the vein of the best moments of "Monolith" and "Audio-Visions" albums. In fact, I like this song better than most of Livgren's efforts for the aforesaid albums. The albums ends with a beautiful prog ballad called 'Peaceful and Warm'. One of the best Walsh compositions ever, the song's first section is sung, featuring a duet of acoustic guitars and solid violin colors gently accompanied by subtle synth layers; the second section is instrumental, with the piano laying the basic chords on which the whole band builds an emotionally charged climax where words are no longer needed. A beautiful end for a very good album, full of decent to great songs, with very few irregular moments. "Freaks of Nature" is an effective mixture of vintage Kansas and new musical starting points.