Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Kansas
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2016
Duration: 53:23
Rating: 4/5
»The Prelude Implicit« is Kansas’ first studio album in sixteen years, and also their first with three new members: vocalist/keyboardist Ronnie Platt, keyboardist David Manion and rhythm guitarist Zak Rizvi. Platt came in to replace original Kansas vocalist Steve Walsh, who decided to retire in 2014, which automatically heralded a new era for these long-lived American prog rock champions. Ever since their previous studio album, »Somewhere to Elsewhere« (2000), where key songwriter and original guitarist Kerry Livgren played with them for the last time, Kansas had struggled badly with writing new material, since after Livgren’s (second) departure the whole burden of writing new compositions fell on Walsh. He somehow never found the right inspiration for new creations in that period, while the other longtime Kansas members, that is drummer Phil Ehart, guitarist Rich Williams, violinist David Ragsdale and bassist Billy Greer, tried their luck in 2009 with the side project Native Window, which, to be honest, impressed very few longtime fans.
The arrival of Platt, Manion and Rizvi injected new energy into Kansas, and after many years they got down to writing new material. With Rizvi, Kansas finally got an additional rhythm guitarist after a long time, while Manion is the first Kansas keyboardist since Greg Robert. Both left an important songwriting mark on the album. The same goes for Platt, who had the tough job of replacing the charismatic Walsh. The tone of his voice sits somewhere right between young Walsh and John Elefante, so it’s not hard to fall for it, and you can already call it an absolutely spot-on choice.
»The Prelude Implicit« is generally a very well-balanced album that sails nicely between the symphonic-leaning progressive rock of Kansas’ golden days and the melodic rock they had going in the eighties. You can hear it clearly right on the opening track »With This Heart«, which, with its regal symphonic arrangements, bristling guitar passages and Platt’s mighty vocal performance, instantly wipes away any doubts about the credibility of the latest version of the legendary band. Even better is the slightly nostalgic »Visibility Zero«, where Ragsdale’s violin reigns supreme. It’s also fascinating to hear how much Williams has grown as Kansas’ lead guitarist since Livgren’s (final) departure. On the lightly, tolerably sugared power ballad »The Unsung Heroes«, Ehart’s friend Geoff Byrd helped Kansas with the writing; most people know him as the first musician who managed to break through to a wider audience via the internet. One of the more interesting creations on the album is definitely the refreshing and somewhat punchier »Rhytm in the Spirit«, which brings some interesting new sonic ideas into the traditional Kansas sound, with its emphasis on violin-and-guitar harmonies, on a light, almost ‘shy’ jazzy foundation.
On the romantic-melancholic »Refugee«, British guitarist Mike Slamer contributed as a songwriter. He’s an old buddy of Greer’s from Seventh Key and a former member of Walsh’s former band Streets. Fans of the epic symphonic prog rock Kansas made in the seventies will get their fill with the excellent epic »The Voyage of Eight Eighteen«, which without a doubt ranks among their best work without Livgren around and will surely become a Kansas classic in no time. Lush symphonic harmonies and complex transitions are crowned with a mighty vocal performance and brilliant guitar and violin solos. We haven’t heard that level of experimental sharpness from Kansas in quite a while, maybe not since the late seventies.
The mystical, mighty mood carries on in »Camouflage«, which boasts an exceptionally beautiful, almost AOR chorus, while punchy guitar riffs and rich symphonic harmonies strongly recall the seventies. The melodic rock-oriented »Summer«, with Greer on lead vocals, is a solid but not overly exciting creation, thanks to its fast tempo, melodic nature and clever transitions.
»Crowded Isolation« turns out somewhat more interesting, with epic vocal harmonies that are especially impressive and can’t be praised enough, while programmed keyboard samples and subtle violin passages liven up the whole thing. »Section 60« is a decent instrumental that provides a pompous and dramatic close to the album. As bonus tracks, right at the very end of the special edition of »The Prelude Implicit«, you’ll find an interestingly rearranged, sung version of the anthem of the American state of Kansas, »Home On The Range«, written by Daniel E. Kelley in 1872, and the traditional American folk song »Oh Shenadoah«, with which the band paid tribute to their musical roots and their home country.
With »The Prelude Implicit«, Kansas rose from the ashes like the mythical phoenix on that aesthetically not-so-great cover, and made a much better album than most people would have expected, given that Walsh and Livgren, the two key songwriters of the American prog rock legends from Topeka in years past, are no longer on board. The arrival of three new members was just the infusion of fresh energy that the longtime members, as songwriters and musicians, badly needed, since it extended their future and at the same time proved they can still make a quality studio album. It may not rank among their greatest masterpieces, but it’s better than most of the material made without Livgren in the lineup. Signing with the German prog rock-minded label Inside Out Music, which they’ve worked with since 2009, was also a smart move, and it will surely make sure the new album reaches more lovers of good music than it otherwise would have.
Lineup
Ronnie Platt – lead vocals, piano on “The Voyage of Eight Eighteen”
Rich Williams – electric and acoustic guitar
Billy Greer – bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on “Summer”
Phil Ehart – drums, percussion
David Ragsdale – violin, backing vocals
David Manion – keyboards
Zak Rizvi – electric guitar, backing vocals
Production
Phil Ehart, Richard Williams and Zak Rizvi
Track list
1. With This Heart (4:13)
2. Visibility Zero (4:28)
3. The Unsung Heroes (5:02)
4. Rhythm in the Spirit (5:58)
5. Refugee (4:23)
6. The Voyage of Eight Eighteen (8:18)
7. Camouflage (6:42)
8. Summer (4:07)
9. Crowded Isolation (6:11)
10. Section 60 (3:59)
