After the sumptuous live 'Leftoverture Live & Beyond' in 2017 which was a kind of time machine with the best of this formation in the 70s, it's a new album that the Americans of 'Kansas' offer us with 'The Absence Of Presence' which continues to remind us of the 'Kansas' of yesteryear with the melodic violin lines so characteristic of this formation and 'Ronnie Platt' on the vocals which is in the same register as 'Steve Walsh' who released a solo album, 'Black Butterfly' in 2017.
And from the first bars of 'The Absence of Presence', the violin of 'David Ragsdale' gives us a 'Kansas' sound followed by characteristic keyboard sounds and we tell ourselves that we are off to a good start with a long original development that unfolds a quiet mid-tempo with a beautiful harmonious melody reminiscent of the 'Kansas' touch with an irreproachable production, then 'Throwing Mountains' continues on this way all traced with a more rock sound but still in the style so characteristic of the Americans just like the following title 'Jets Overhead' with still melodic lines accompanied by the violin that make us go back to titles of 'Point Of Know Return'. After the instrumental 'Propulsion 1', filled with positive energy and with a great performance in the rhythm section of one of the 2 survivors of the time 'Steve Walsh', I named 'Phil Ehart', 'Memories Down the Line' takes us on a wonderful ballad in a style that could be a mix between early' Kansas' and 'Barclay James Harvest', then, 'Circus of Illusion' is certainly the most progressive track with originals arrangements which certainly make it the most distant title from the band's style, although the violin reminds us that we are in a 'Kansas' album. The rest of the album continues to rock us to the rhythm of timeless melodies fueling this nostalgia for the seventies with first the catchy 'Circus of Illusion' and 'Animals on the Roof' with its delicious chorus, then 'Never' takes us on board. for a magnificent melancholic ballad with a melody which is embedded immediately in your head, the opus ending with 'The Song The River Sang' composed and sung by the keyboardist 'Tom Brislin' with a catchy tempo and a light atmosphere s' moving away from the historical style of 'Kansas' and which has an instrumental finale in crescendo which ends abruptly and which may suggest an upcoming sequel for this album.
In summary, as you will understand, this new 'Kansas' is a total delight that takes us back a few decades, all this with a modern sound and an irreproachable production which destines 'The Absence Of Presence', beyond the imposing base of historical fans to a large audience because all these very accessible melodies have something timeless that goes beyond fashions and different musical trends... | |
