MONOLITH

Oops........ I am getting onto a bad start with Kansas. The PA reviews is telling me that this is one of their weaker albums. It is typical my luck that it is on the top of the list of Kansas albums I will review.

It starts OK with the rather good On the other side. It is a nice AOR number. It soon dawns on me that this is not symphonic prog at all. Only How My Soul Cries Out For You is anywhere near that label. The rest is AOR bogged down in the typical 1980s sound. AOR in the stadium rock version. If they ever toured this album in the stadiums, I do not know. But this album is typical US of A. Brash, big and cheesy. That describes this album. That and some heavy metal on the top of it. Straight funk is also thrown in. This album stinks of Jane Fonda's leg warmers, hair spray, Ronald Reagan, yuppies and stadium rock. The worst of US of A, in my view. The songs are not too bad. But the sound is so typical 1980s that it should be returned with a time machine with a polite "no thanx" letter.

This is not for me at all. With the exception of the above mentioned songs and some OK parts of some other songs, this album has not aged well at all. Give me Jane Fonda anytime.

But there is enough here to follow up Kansas more from my side. I have not been scared away.

2.5 stars