GLOSSOLALIA

WHEN WALSH MEETS DREAM THEATER

Steve Walsh has been one OF the voice that has reared my mid teens years back to the great « Song For America » from "Kansas". It is nice to see that he is still in business a quarter of a century later. I was not very enthusiastic with his first solo effort "Schemer" (two stars) and I wondered how I would react to "Glossolalia".

The title track is almost prog-metal : very heavy riff (close to "Dream Theater") combined with a different type of vocals (but it has been quite some time that his voice has changed). Totally unexpected, I should say (the heavy-prog-metal side, not the voice).

The rock ballad "Serious Wreckage" is easy listening music but passionless and dull. More metal sounds again a bit later on and a gospel-like finale is not really what I had hoped, I'm afraid. Poor. Indeed, a "Serious Wreckage". And it goes on unfortunately with the funky-noisy "Heart Attack". Useless.

With such a title, the song "Kansas" I didn't know what to expect. It is actually the first track with some potential on this album. Long instrumental intro featuring good piano work (you know, like "Kansas" in their debuts) and melodic chorus (although a bit pompous). But don't expect a masterpiece : it is too repetitive, waaaaaaay too long. An average song, that's all.

Like "Serious Wreckage", the next song "Nothing" says it all in its title. A syrupy acoustic ballad with little flavour. Before each new song starts, I am waiting for something good to happen, but each time I am mostly disappointed. This album is invaded with heavy metal.

"Glossolaila" does not work very well for me. Too much American style music probably. I can't really point out one single great song here.

Two stars.

This is a tough album for Kansas fans to listen to, and even for fans of Walsh’s work outside the band. For those of us who have also seen him live in the past few years it is somewhat heart-wrenching to see (and hear) how time and abuse have ravaged his once formidable abilities.

On the other hand, the album also represents some of the most energetic and passionate work he has committed to tape since the eighties, so in that respect it’s a record that can’t be ignored by fans. Walsh recorded ‘Glossolalia’ at the same time the original Kansas lineup was gathered together for the first time in nearly two decades at Kerry Livgren’s Berryton, Kansas studio laying down the tracks for the unexpected and wonderful ‘Somewhere to Elsewhere’. The Steve Walsh contributions to that album consisted primarily of remotely-recorded vocal tracks mailed to Livgren to be mixed into the final package, and the lack of proximity to the rest of the band can be heard at times throughout the finished product. The fact that Livgren supplied all the keyboard tracks speaks volumes as to where Walsh’s energies were being applied at the turn of the century.

For this solo album Walsh was ‘all there’ though, both literally and figuratively. The voice is not (and never will be) what it once was, but Walsh is a consummate performer when he wants to be, and it’s clear he wanted to be when these songs were recorded with the help of Magellan founder and studio wizard Trent Gardner. The sound is more neo-progressive metal for the most part than the symphonic- tinged classics of Kansas’ seventies sound. But this is to be expected from the guy who walked away from one of the most lucrative gigs of the seventies to launch a rather ill-fated career as a hard-rocker with Streets and as a solo artist.

But no matter how hard Walsh may try, he can’t escape his roots, even here with Gardner applying copious helpings of neo-prog studio wizardry to the mix. The opening title track owes apparent and heavy debts to Gardner’s influence with its synthesized strings (and possibly horns as well, although Gardner is credited with playing trombone on the album).

“Serious Wreckage” is a more subdued and quite dark number, altogether not unlike the more somber moments on the Steve Morse-fronted version of Kansas on 1988’s ‘In the Spirit of Things”. This is a story about a guy who wipes out a kid in a drunk-driving accident and is dealing with the aftermath. That makes it sort of the reverse-view of Salem Hill’s ‘Robbery of Murder’, which released shortly before this album. Walsh was coming out of a period in his life where he had wrapped his own vehicle around poles in a stupor a couple of times and been committed to rehab, so there may be a bit of self- loathing in these lyrics. The theme is also not too far removed from the opening track “I Can Fly” from Kansas’ 1995 release ‘Freaks of Nature’. Pretty morbid stuff. You know, for a guy who says he doesn’t dwell on past regrets, Walsh sure has a lot of songs that seem to do just that.

Next up is “Heart Attack”, a nineties-sounding heavy pop-rock tune complete with a dance beat, funky bass line, a glut of harmonizing vocals, soaring synthesized strings and Mike Slamer’s Prince-like guitar shredding. Walsh claims he had 22 songs on the shelf when Gardner approached him about doing this album, and considering he didn’t contribute any of them to ‘Somewhere to Elsewhere’ it’s a bit of a mystery why he felt the need to fill time on the album with this track. He should have had plenty else to choose from.

“Kansas” is not, as I first thought, a tribute to the band that made him famous: instead its a combination of the sentiments of “People of the South Wind” from the 1979 Kansas release ‘Monolith’; native American leanings like ‘Leftoverture’s’ “Cheyenne Anthem”; and the tempo of ‘In the Spirit of Things’ “Bells of Saint James”. In other words not very original, but the worst Walsh could be accused of here is copping the sound of his own band, so you can’t really fault him for that I suppose.

Surprising for me is the track I find to be the most appealing, the brief and understated “Nothing”. Walsh for once is reflective without being self-indulgent, somber but not morbid. And his voice sounds great (primarily because he doesn’t attempt taking it to ranges it will not longer reach). This is a mellow, almost ballad-like tune that casts the once monolithic vocal talent in a great light considering his age and circumstance. Musically the piano and acoustic guitar gives this a Midwestern feel that is all too appropriate for Walsh. A beautiful tune that will undoubtedly be included if Walsh ever decides to do a ‘Best of’ or anthology album.

“Haunted Man” is more neo-prog but in a definite Walsh vein and sans nearly any Gardner influence. I would have liked to have heard more like this one on the album, and hope Walsh has more of them on the shelf somewhere to be released in some future effort. The sound is a bit dated, but again the arrangements and tempo fit his voice well and Slamer’s guitar transitions keep the listener engaged without being overpowering.

The first song I ever heard from this album was a promo of “Smackin' the Clowns”, which even then sounded to me more like something that should have been contributed to ‘Somewhere to Elsewhere’. If you’ve heard “Grand Fun Alley” from that album you’ll get an idea of what this one is like. Heavy again, and Slamer is ever-present on guitar, but once more Walsh’s vocals are quite good and not strained, the lyrics are sentimental but not maudlin, and the tempo fits like a comfortable jacket. A bit long, and some of the sound effects border on being just a little bit cheesy, but overall a very decent effort.

I kind of wonder if “That's What Love's all About” was intended to be a single – it has the feel of one with its overly-repetitive lyrics, Billy Idol sneering vocals, and simple timbre. The whistling is a bit off- putting too, but I could have seen this one getting some airplay if the album had managed to receive any kind of promotional support (which it didn’t).

Another track that doesn’t really ring true for Walsh is the bland “Mascara Tears”, again overly garnished with fake strings, plus the vocals have a kind of theatrical, almost Motown feel to them. Not a horrible track, but once more I’m left wondering what the dozen or so songs that didn’t make the album must have sounded like.

And back to the early nineties we go with the closing “Rebecca”, an anthematic tune that may have been seen as a possible live show closing number. Slamer is really the star here.

I’ve had this album for quite a while but only play it occasionally, much like ‘Freaks of Nature’ or ‘In the Spirit of Things’. These three all seem to fit together for me, containing just enough of Kansas and Walsh to be considered authentic but without the ability to transcend the context of the time at which they were recorded. This one is almost by definition a three star effort, and even with the couple of pretty weak tracks I’d recommend it to any Kansas, Walsh or American prog-rock fan.

peace

The turn of the century was a good omen for progressive rock music, and especially for fans of Kansas. The band reunited and produced a new studio album. Kerry Livgren released one of his best solo efforts yet. And then here's this: After twenty years, Steve Walsh put out another one. Having endured years of a harrowingly self-destructive lifestyle, Walsh is an aged man, riddled with the consequences of past behavior. Gone are the days when he looked for a hit (in more ways than one), making music with an aim toward a large following and lined pockets. There is genuineness to the content of this album- it has heart and soul, even if they are dismal and grave much of the time. The sound palette is somewhat eclectic, moving through a variety of textures, not the least of which are neo-progressive and progressive metal ones. Magellan co-founder Trent Gardner plays a monumental role on this album, contributing in nearly every capacity. While Walsh's wrecked voice is certainly a disappointment for many Kansas fans, I find it works very well on his solo work, and helps to give his own music a completely different flavor. The few weak tracks on the album in no way rob it of its power or relevance. Hearing it afresh has given me a deeper appreciation for the voice of Kansas.

"Glossolalia" The way the lyrics are half-spoken and half-sung make me think of some of Adrian Belew's work on King Crimson's Discipline. There are some synthetic drums and a Vocoder for parts of this odd track. The percussion and canting at the end add to its eclectic nature, finishing it with a distant tribal feel.

"Serious Wreckage" This soft yet harsh track is one of my favorites here. The lyrics are hauntingly good, describing an ill-fated night about when the narrator accidentally runs over a little boy. The somber lyrics are absolutely some of the best Walsh has ever penned, and it chills me to listen to them: "Serious wreckage, wet, wet, bloody, wet- one drink to remember, one more to forget that serious wreckage. He could have changed the world, but look what he got. He could have been everything, everything that I am not. So I take flowers to the funeral, but I've forgotten how to grieve, and I struggle every night with what to believe." Dark strings and piano make up the majority of the music. After a heavy segment, one of the best musical moments of the album begins, with choir, synthesizer, and additional strings.

"Heart Attack" More spoken lyrics over some funky early 1990s pop music makes up this track. The guitar soloing is rather good, but for the most part, this song annoys me. It almost seems like a dance song, and there's a section of vocalizing that I don't care much for. While certainly not my thing, I wouldn't call it a horrible song. The lyrics also reference "Haunted Man"

"Kansas" Haunting synthesizer and timpani give way to a bright piano on this lengthy piece, before some magnificent vocals come in. The lyrics are similar to a subject Kansas had been interested years before, that of the plight of the Native American. It's a powerful track, and, while the main instrumentation is unique, the vocals carry it to greatness. The sinister vocal effects on the final, repeated line, is a revisiting of one of the lines in "Glossolalia."

"Nothing" A stark, Midwestern country sound with steel guitar lines provide the perfect contrast on this album. What's more, Walsh's voice is mature and soothing. This unassuming song makes me think of Johnny Cash in the twilight of his life, particularly when he covered the Nine Inch Nails song, "Hurt." It is a song of reflection, one that considers a decadent life ill-spent and recognizes the critical import of another existence.

"Haunted Man" I love the instrumentation here (including the well-used bass and synthetic drums). Walsh's singing is appropriately restless during the refrain, a clear contrast to the softer verses. Some frantic guitar consumes the song, bringing things back to the chorus.

"Smackin' the Clowns" A spoken line sets the stage for this tragic narrative song: "Don't forget what circus day means to a small town." The lyrics describe the aftermath of a burned down circus and the effect it has on the narrator. The music begins somewhat delicately as the tension builds, and then it becomes all-out progressive metal for a while. The words are sung over changing time signatures, the likes of which make this one of the most complex songs on the album. Never before has Walsh constructed so sophisticated and heartfelt a song. The lyrics are loaded with brilliant metaphors and poignant observations, some of which one may have to actually read to appreciate.

"That's What Love is All About" A heavy rocker with airier verses, this song sounds like something that would have fit on Kansas's Power album. It revolves around straightforward electric guitar riffs and a somewhat catchy chorus. The music is strong, even if forgettable.

"Mascara Tears" Emotional piano gives way to an uncomplicated jazz lounge-like song. The instrumentation picks up during the chorus. Overall, I find this to be on the bland side, especially compared to so many robust songs that came prior.

"Rebecca" The final track has a grand introduction that gives way to something of another straight-ahead rock song. The screaming guitar solo finishes the album on a high note, or a few of them, rather.

"Glossolalia" is my favorite among all Steve Walsh solo efforts, a testimony of this Kansas man's vision of eclectic rock, where power and emotion collide with conviction. This work was being recorded and produced almost in parallel with the Livgren-comeback album "Somewhere to Elsewhere" that signified a particularly strong return to the band's 70s trend. So, that moment in time can be interpreted as a confluence of old Kansas' refurbishment and Walsh's aim at an evolution as writer and performer. The album gets started with all engines on ? the namesake opener brings an intense mixture of prog metal, industrial rock (a-la NIN) and tribal ambiences, all of them converging in an amalgam that reveals itself as portraying abrasive dynamics as well as angriness? or something like it. The ethnic-oriented coda is dreamy and, well, a bit scary, too. Equally dramatic but bearing a less extroverted mood, 'Serious Wreckage' states a reflective twist about the dangers of the human psyche's dark side. The use of stylish developments in the instrumental interlude manages to capitalize the track's epic potential in an accurate fashion. 'Heart Attack' brings an industrial-driven orientation to a melodic basis that seems quite focused on your typical AOR, with added spices of dance music: interesting, not great but worth our close attention. 'Kansas' is one of the longest songs in the album. It has a very epic feel to it, but don't expect something like 'The Pinnacle' or 'Hopelessly Human' here: this is not a song based on the architecture of various motifs but the result of the expansion of a focused main motif, an expansion whose strategy intends to build up some atmospheres and generate a crescendo out of it. The spoken parts at the end sound like voices in a strange dream, in this way completing the idea of impending darkness that (at least, as I notice) stems from the aforementioned crescendo. 'Nothing' is a sweet, melancholic ballad that strays away from the preceding track's bombastic development ? with an instrumentation of piano, acoustic and slide guitars, Walsh delivers a moving meditation of solitude and nostalgia. 'Haunted Man' has to be the most notable rocker in the album: while not recapturing the effective weirdness of 'Glossolalia' (and certainly not aiming at that), it creates a more cohesive rocking force than 'Heart Attack', hence, encapsulating one of the album's main focuses with great success. 'Haunted Man' wouldn't have been out of place on the "Freaks of Nature" or "In the Spirit of Things" albums. 'Smackin' the Clowns' is the album's longest track, designed to be what it is: the progressive highlight. With lyrics based on a sad real-life story of a circus going down in flames, the song displays a tasteful set of arrangements to link main body, bridges, choruses and interludes. Both this track and 'Kansas' are sonically related to post-"Test of Wills" Magellan: definitely, collaborator Trent Gardner has had big room for his input. 'That's What Love's All About' is nice, with some appeal inherited from the 90s alternative rock standard, but all in all, I don't find it that great. 'Mascara Tears' is more appealing to me: a rock ballad set on a semi-blues mood and ornamented with solid keyboard orchestrations, it bears a cleverly constructed sensibility that may at times remind you of a Broadway play song in a particularly dramatic momentum. A great song, indeed. 'Rebecca' end the album in yet another demonstration of emotional drive Walsh- style: this second ballad in a row comes under a Gospel-like guise, being less romantic than the preceding one but retaining its evocative power. The lead guitar phrases emphasize the song's delivery quite efficiently. And so, Steve Walsh's second effort deserves to be labeled as a great addition to any art-rock collection.

Well, well, well, we've certainly come a long way since Schemer Dreamer. Once known as the more straightforward, AOR element of Kansas, Steve Walsh has really come into his own as a songwriter, and that is very clear from this solo album. Featuring a huge variety of styles (some of which work better than others), I honestly feel there is material on here that can certainly rival Kerry Livgren's work, despite Livgren generally being thought of as the proggier songwriter. Be aware, though, this is not a Kansas album, and in fact has a lot more to do with modern progressive metal than it does with the kind of symphonic prog Kansas plays. That said, this is still a good, albeit flawed album, and fans of Walsh should find plenty to like.

The title track begins the album on a rather ominous note, and a surprisingly heavy one as well. Pounding riffs overlay rather sinister synths, and Walsh's now-raspy voice complements the combination perfectly with half-spoken, darkly poetic lyrics. A strange electronic section in the middle of the track breaks up the flow a little bit, but it also kind of works, giving the track a disjointed feel that goes well with its bizarre arrangment. Walsh also makes great use of the changes his voice has undergone, with raw, rasping vocals giving the music an extra edge that even his greatest moments in Kansas never had. "Glossolalia" is a very strange track, but a pretty good one and a definite message that this isn't Kansas anymore.

"Serious Wreckage" is one of the few songs I can point to where the lyrics really make the song. Much of the track I think would come off as a cheesy ballad were the lyrics not so deadly serious (about a drunk driving incident in which a child was killed). As a result, the song comes off incredibly poignantly, with a hugely emotional performance from Walsh. Additionally, the second half of the song is very dark musically, with the same kind of sinister synths of the first track and some very heavy guitars as well. The upshot of it all is that by the time the track reaches its epic vocal conclusion "Serious Wreckage" feels more like an epic than a ballad.

"Heart Attack" I would say is the first misstep of the album. With an 80s disco beat and pseudo-rap vocals from Walsh juxtaposed with elements of prog metal, it's really a rather baffling song that comes off as almost painfully forced after the very heartfelt previous track. There are sections that sound like they could be decent prog-metal in a different context, but when they're overlaid with disco vocals from a man who absolutely should not be singing in that style I rather have to wonder what Mr. Walsh was thinking.

"Kansas," however, more than makes up for it. It's songs like this that make me yearn for another Kansas album with Walsh in a prominent writing role, because this track conclusively proves that he's come a long way since "Power" and even since "Freaks of Nature." "Kansas" is nuanced, dark, and melodically gorgeous, and far more reminiscent of his colleague Kerry Livgren's work than of the AOR pop-rock that Walsh used to put out. Haunting keyboards and another vocal line that makes excellent use of the new rawness in Walsh's voice. This is easily one of the highlights of the album and, in my opinion, one of the best songs Walsh has ever written.

"Nothing" is a much more stripped down affair after the complex orchestration of "Kansas," but it definitely shows another side of Walsh as a songwriter, and one that's just as effective. With beautifully arranged piano and guitar setting up a spare but effective musical backtrack, Walsh delivers another great vocal performance, singing both tenderly and powerfully, and the decades of experience in his voice only add to the performance.

"Haunted Man" is another strange one. Starting off with a catchy, simple, guitar and vocal part, the song quickly launches into a bombastic, heavy rocker of a track with hooks aplenty. Unfortunately, this is one song where I don't think the changes in Walsh's voice have been kind, and as a result I think the track lacks quite a bit of the punch it could have had if Walsh were in his prime. Obviously that's not his fault, but this song, to me, is far from the level of songwriting of "Kansas."

"Smackin' The Clowns," on the other hand, is great. Despite its rather goofy title, the track is a bona-fide prog-metal epic, with virtuosic guitar parts and a stirring narrative about a circus burning down in a small town. Tons of different melodies (most of them quite good) and instrumental sections make appearances in this track, and once again Walsh's voice is used to great effect. This is especially notable in the final third of the track, with a brief spoken word monologue that actually works very well. You can hear the pain and intense emotion in Walsh's voice, and I think that's one of the reasons the song is so good. The song concludes with a reprise of the musical themes of the first part of the track, and of course the narrative ends as well. Another definite highlight.

Unfortunately, "That's What Love's All About" is another one that doesn't really do it for me. Half R & B and half AOR, this is not (in my opinion) one of Walsh's better compositions, and it simply pales in comparison to much of the rest of the album. Add in the fact that sections of this sound like they're still trying to be proggy, with orchestral synths parts and the like, and you have to wonder what is going on with this one.

"Mascara Tears" works a little better, with a very melodic, tender piano part and some almost crooning vocals from Walsh. While it's a decidedly simpler song than "Kansas" or "Smackin' the Clowns," it's certainly still a great track, with a very vintage kind of classy sound and a really stellar vocal performance from Walsh as well. I think it would have made an excellent closer for the album and I'm always a bit disappointed when there's another song.

The reason for that is that "Rebecca" is simply not that good. Though it begins with a fairly promising atmospheric section, it quickly devolves into a fairly standard AOR number. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that this was a leftover from Walsh's Streets days, because it simply screams "power ballad." Unfortunately, that's not really the kind of track that works particularly well with Walsh's voice anymore, and after the smooth class of "Mascara Tears" "Rebecca" comes off as a bit of a let-down, or at the very least a bit underwhelming.

Ultimately, Glossolalia is a good album which is severely limited by its low points. It's very hard to take the album seriously without dismissing songs like "Heart Attack" outright, and I honestly don't know if I would enjoy this album as much as I do were it not for the sizable nostalgia factor it carries for me. I do truly believe that "Kansas" and "Smackin' the Clowns" are very good songs that most prog fans should enjoy, but there's also some definite filler, and I would imagine that listeners who are not already fans of Walsh might have trouble making it through the whole album without pressing the skip button.

2.5/5, rounded up.

3.5 stars really

Steve Walsh is without doubt one of the most pleasent and recognazible voices in prog music and in music in general, he made history with Kansas but also he has a solo career. His first solo album was released when Kansas was on the waves of popularity worldwide in 1980, his second offer will come 20 years later named Glossolalia in 2000 a Magna Carta issue. Well, this album took more then usual to get into, but after I discoverd his underneath treasures I definetly say that is his best solo album and why not can easely rival with Kansas around that time. Glossolalia is an eclectic album, hard to categorized, when is prog rock, when is almost prog metal when is rock, but all pieces had a truly progressive atmosphere. Besides music who is very debanding , quirky most of the time, the line -up is top notch, his Kansas mate on bass Billy Greer, Virgil Donati on drums, the master behind Magellan music - Trent Gartner on keyboards and various instruments and few more invited guest, so a stellar line-up. The high light for me are opening title track Glossolalia, Serious Wreckage - here Walsh demonstrates that is still in bussines big time, a truly great piece and Haunted Man, the rest are also good but not really spectacular. Some of the arrangements of course recalls Kansas but also Magellan's music, Trent Gartner was also the producer of the album and co writte some passages with Walsh, so his wrtting manner are to be found here and there. All in all more then decent album, with some very good original parts but also some more usual ones, but overall is good. I think fans of Kansas will get into Glossolalia pretty hard, is not quite one spin album. 3.5 stars for sure. Intresting art work and strange in same time, like the title of the album who is know as speaking in tongues without meaning of any word said.