KAYAK : LETTERS FROM UTOPIA

 

  1. Rhea
  2. because i
  3. turbulence
  4. before the angels fell
  5. breaking the news
  6. for all the wrong reasons
  7. under the radar
  8. hard work
  9. nobody wins
  10. circles in the sand
  11. never was
  12. glass bottom boat
  13. horror in action
  14. a whisper
  15. parallel universe
  16. let the record show
  17. brothers in rhyme
  18. when the love has gone
  19. letters from utopia

Label : SMH Recordings

Time : 81:01

Release Year : 2009

Review (ProgArchives) : In the beginning it appears to be not very different from its predecessor Coming Up For Air which I almost liked, this double CD starts with a usual folky keyboard. The opening song, "Rhea" is easy and perfectly in line with the last Kayak production. Nothing new then? Well first of all a band active for more than 40 years doesn't have to do "new" things. Rhea is energetic, in its "Supertramp flavour". "Because I" sounds a bit more "Canterbury", mainly in the vocals, but the melody is mellow and trivial. It contains some nice passages, but to be honest I didn't skip this track because I forced myself. With "Turbulence" we are back to the 80s. It's a rock song with a tempo that reminds to things like Pretenders or some Jim Steinman's production out of Meat Loaf. Not bad but not outstanding for sure. The first song longer that 4 minutes: "Before the Angels fell", opens with piano and female vocals. Acoustic guitar give the start to male singing, bass and drums. In few words it's a typical Kayak song based on keyboards and guitar. It suddendly changes tempo after about 3:30 minutes. Is it Suzi Quatro? just 90 seconds of R&R and we are now in symphonic prog. What to say? I think I'll need time to decide if I like this track or not. Let's skip to the following. "Breaking the News" is another story. It's closer to the standards of the last years. It's a slow song that could be added to Nostradamus, Merlin or Coming up for Air. The next song has been written and recorded "For all the Wrong Reasons". Just trivial pop. I can imagine teen-agers waving lighters... "Under The Radar" is a good song, instead. A Kayak standard. "Hard Work" is not that bad, but try to imagine it played by Duran Duran or sung by Bonnie Tyler. Why this excursion in the 80s? It's like they are trying to fill the gap of their 18 years without recording (1981-99). Piano based slow songs have always been a good territory for Kayak. "Nobody wins" is probably the first excellent song of the album, at least for me. The second CD starts with another piano-slow, "Circles in the Sand". For people who likes Camel of the Stationary Traveller period (when Schelhaas were playing with them). I really like this simple song. After two slow songs, a rocky one: "Glass Bottom Boat" is in the album average, but the middle section when it calms down is the best part. Until now the album is very well played and arranged, but I'm still undecided between 2 and 3 stars. It's non-essential for sure. Can it be appreciated by non hard-fans too? Let's see what happens next. With "Never Was" the classic Kayak are back. Not an outstanding track, but a nice one, again close to the 80s Camel. "Horror in Action" has the rock-opera flavour of Merlin or Nostradamus. I can say that CD2 appears to be really better than CD1. Some tape gimmicks start "A whisper". Piano and acoustic guitar for another slow folky song. Maybe the best of this double album. A very good one.. The following one, "Parallel Universe" is good high-level pop. We are moving to 3 stars... Nice guitar harping starts "Let the Record Show". This is less typical for Kayak. Another good prog-folk song. "Brothers In Rhime" doesn't add or remove anything. It's another classical Kayak, with an unusual blowing coda. "When the Love Has Gone" is nothing more than good pop-rock. Nice to listen,quite a "cardriving song". The last act of the album is the title track "Letters from Utopia". Not too different in the flavour from the preceeding track. Good pop, only this. In brief, the second CD is very better than the first. Both are non-essential, but the second can achieve 3 stars. It would have probably been better to concentrate the best things in one disc only. The last negative thing is the fadeout on the last track. Fading out the last track after 80 mins of music is a crime, regardless which kind of music you are listening to.