Billy Greer, Phil Ehart, Richard Williams, and David Ragsdale…normally known as the majority of Kansas (minus Steve Walsh), now also operating under the moniker Native Window. Seeing as their main band doesn't seem to have any plans to record new material (and who knows whether this is a decision of the band or Walsh), these four have decided to go out and put together some new material with the intent of taking a different path from the sounds you normally hear from Kansas. While Native Window does carry some similarities, the band does go for a 'rootsier' style here, less focused on the prog and hard rock stylings of Kansas, instead concentrating on strong pop hooks, plenty of earthy, acoustic moments, and the occasional AOR nod.
Greer is pretty much 'money' throughout these tunes, showing that he certainly has the vocal chops to be a lead vocalist on a project like this. His catchy crooning is perfectly suited for a track like "Surrender" or the country-rock "The Way You Haunt Me". Williams mixes in lots of acoustic & electric textures, alongside Ragsdale's weaving violin on "Money", perhaps the most 'proggy' piece here, and the lush "The Light of Day" sees the two lay down some gorgeous acoustic passages together. "Blood In the Water" is a hard rocker, Ehart digging in deep while Williams provides the crunch, while "An Ocean Away" is another mix of prog and pop that will recall latter day Kansas. Another strong piece is "Got To Get Out of This Town", a quirky, roots rocker with some wispy violin from Ragsdale and intricate rhythms, sure to get you on your feet and tapping along to the clever melodies.
Fans hoping for some bombastic progressive rock might be a tad disappointed here, but as a more acoustic based mix of pop, rock, and a smidgen of country and prog, this one works quite nicely. Filled with plenty of memorable melodies and clever instrumentation, Native Window proves to be an entertaining and engaging listen, and if Kansas' recording days are definitely behind them, hopefully we can count on these guys to continue and expand on this project.
Track Listing
1) Money
2) Still (We Will Go On)
3) Surrender
4) The Way You Haunt Me
5) The Light of Day
6) Blood In the Water
7) An Ocean Away
8) Miss me
9) Got to Get Out of This Town
10) The Moment
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