Kansas – The Absence Of Presence
Label: Inside Out Music
Release date: July 17th, 2020
Website: www.kansasband.com
I remember as if it was yesterday when I saw KANSAS together with CHEAP TRICK on an open air show in Pomona in California in September 2014. Ronnie Platt had only his fourth show with the band, but you could already feel the special chemistry between the members. Some six years later Ronny recorded his second album as a member of KANSAS and his performance on “The Absence Of Presence is absolutely stunning. Okay, the die-hard STEVE WALSH fans will still complain, but why? KANSAS found the perfect replacement, which surely wasn‘t easy at all. Mr. Platt suits the songs really well and so do the newest additions to the line-up Tom Brislin (keyboards) and six stringer Zak Rizvi. The duo is responsible for eight of the nine tracks, and they both know how to deliver. More than its predecessor, the record breathes the spirit of the old KANSAS tunes. Although it doesn‘t reach the sheer quality of the last album with KERRY LIVGREN (2000’s “Somewhere To Elsewhere“) but it‘s a very fine effort with many highlights. Can‘t wait to listen to the blu-ray audio with the 5.1 mix. Get the album!
8/10
Andreas Höhn
Track 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
