On July 17, 2020ת "Kansas" released the album "The Absence of Presence".
From the name of the album we learn about the connection to the covid-19 crisis, "lack of presence". Although the album was recorded before the crisis, amazingly both its name and the topics some of the songs deal with can easily relate to the hallucinatory reality of covid-19.
This is the band's 16th album which was scheduled for release on June 26, 2020, but its release has been postponed due to printing delays stemming from the covid-19 crisis.
This is the fourth album by the American prog giant, without Steve Walsh - who served as its singer, keyboardist, writer, and founding member, and the second since retiring in 2014.
It is also the second album with singer Ronnie Platt and guitarist Zak Rizvi, and the first with keyboardist Tom Brislin, all three of whom have presented their writing abilities on this album.
At first listening, this album seems to be a return to the band's origins with long tracks and more complex compositions like the theme song that also opens the album and the song "Throwing Mountains" which was released as the first single from the album and whose guitar sound is among the heaviest we remember from "Kansas".
We said that the album is reminiscent of the good old "Kansas", so it passes us by as a thread in the violins of Ragsdale, in the song "Jets Overhead", in the bouncy and progressive instrumental section "Propulsion 1", in the ballad "Memories Down The Line", and in the more powerful and rhythmic sections Like "Circus of Illusion" which throws us into the days of "Leftoverture" and "Animals on the Roof" which develops into a rhythmic and sweeping section.
Towards the end of the album we meet with an exciting piano ballad, which reminds us to live the moment with a sentence like: "Each moment that has been lost will never come again".
The closing song "The Song The River Sang" is a dynamic song with rhythm changes that introduce us to Tom Brislin for the first time in singing, which makes the band a band with three excellent singers.
Song list:
1.) The Absence of Presence
2.) Throwing Mountains
3.) Jets Overhead
4.) Propulsion 1
5.) Memories Down the Line
6.) Circus of Illusion
7.) Animals on the Roof
8.) Never
9.) The Song the River Sang
Personnel:
– Ronnie Platt / lead vocals, keyboard
– David Ragsdale / violin, guitars
– Tom Brislin / keyboards
– Richard Williams / guitars
– Zak Rizvi / guitars
– Phil Ehart / drums, percussion
– Billy Greer / bass, vocals
For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music