SOMEWHERE TO ELSEWHERE

It's always a two sided tale when listening to a comeback album by practically any artist. First we have the anticipation of hearing what the band/artist is capable of after all these years. It's also interesting to see which direction the band/artist decides to undertake. Unfortunately this second point is usually somewhat of a disappointment when it comes to prog bands since it's usually a comeback to the '70s sound that made them famous, which is not all that progressive! The only exception to that rule has been achieved by King Crimson's reunion in the '90s which spawned some of the best comeback recordings that have ever been produced.

With all this in mind, let's proceed with the exploration of Somewhere Elsewhere. In Kansas' case, these guys are still capable of creating great music. Case and point - Icarus II or Myriad. Unfortunately it's the direction that is laking. The band clearly tries to satisfy everyone by doing so many different types of songs and manages only to satisfy the hardcore fan base. One might argue that this is what an excellent comeback is suppose to do since, at the end of the day, happy fans is all that really counts. But to me that sounds like setting a very low bar and I would have done without this release, but now I'm only highlighting my previous point.

If you're a big fan of this band's '70s material and can handle their '80s sound then this is an album well worth checking out. New to Kansas? Stay away from this release.

**** star songs: Icarus II (7:17) Myriad (8:55) Look At The Time (5:37) Distant Vision (8:48)

*** star songs: When The World Was Young (5:50) Grand Fun Alley (4:38) The Coming Dawn (Thanatopsis) (5:44) Disappearing Skin Tight Blues (7:02) Byzantium (4:15) Not Man Big (8:39) Geodesic Dome (1:24)