CALLING ALL STATIONS

I had to get over the shock of Ray Wilson as lead vocalist, but I have. If there never had been a Peter Gabriel or Phil Collins fronting this group, I'd accept Ray as lead without a second thought. CAS has grown on me. I like it better than anything since Wind and Wuthering. My favorite stuff is everything they did from 1970 to 1977. That said, I like much of their later stuff well enough. What's it mean to be Prog? Back to the 70's? I hope not! But that seems to be what some reviewers want. Doesn't Progressive mean change and development? I see that in CAS. It seems to me that Mike and Tony have come full circle, back to the cross-roads they were at with the completion of Duke; and whereas Phil took them (ahem) south in a pop direction, this time they set off due north from Duke. The music is full of confidence; after all, Mike and Tony have plenty of experience, and it shows. The lyrics are flabby here and there ... but underneath the fat is meat!... unlike the generally spare, shallow stuff on Invisible Touch and Genesis-self-titled. The title track announces the new direction although it gives a musical nod to Invisible Touch. Musically, Congo has reminiscences of Brazil from IT, as well as Peter Gabriel's Biko and his No Self Control; I can detect some seeds from Los Endos and Your Own Special Way too. Shipwrecked's feely shlop lyrics and music remind me of Duke. Alien Afternoon does start slow, but is reminiscent of Three, Wind, and Trick; I love the texturing and rich keyboards at the end. Not About Us sounds less like Genesis than anything else on the CD; and (ouch) Wilson sounds like Eddie Money(!); I noticed a trace of Entangled in a brief instrumental. If That's What You Feel seems like a mature man's recap of Follow You Follow Me. The Dividing Line ranks up there with the best stuff Genesis ever did; the lyrics are hardhitting and direct, and the music is strong and the drums are awe inspiring; Wilson even sounds like Gabriel! I was disconcerted that the guitar initially sounded like Alan Parson's Stereotomy (no bad thing I suppose). Uncertain Weather sounds like Snowbound off of Three, or something off of Duke. Small Talk reminds of Mike & the Mechanics' Give Me the Simple Life; Wilson like Carrack? More like Gabriel. There Must Be Some Other Way is moody and intense lyrically and musically; it's good as Genesis gets. One Man's Fool reminds me first of Three, then Mike & Mechanics in the chorus, and finally moves and celebrates like the ending of Firth of Fifth. So maybe it ain't 70's prog, but it's great music. I have to knock it down a little for unevenness from song to song, but the music is always creative, listenable, and richly textured.