Kansas - Freaks of Nature

Track List:

1.  I Can Fly (5:21)
2.  Desperate Times (5:25)
3.  Hope Once Again (4:34)
4.  Black Fathom 4 (4:34)
5.  Under the Knife (4:54)
6.  Need (3:59)
7.  Freaks of Nature (4:05)
8.  Cold Grey Morning (4:14)
9.  Peaceful and Warm (4:14)

I like to refer to Freaks of Nature as the album that saved Kansas. After a seven-year dry spell of no new material, the band gets hit with a thunderbolt in 1995. David Ragsdale enters, Steve Morse departs, and Steve Walsh greatly improves his songwriting! His lyrics no longer whine about the women who have dumped him. Instead, he launches a new era of healing and self-discovery, finally maturing in his mid-40s.

Amazing and refreshing, Freaks of Nature tantalizes all the senses, due mainly to the intensity of the music and the seriousness of the lyrics. It’s a heavy album, but has upbeat moments all throughout. From beginning to end, it takes you on a wild ride and leaves you feeling wobbly afterward, as if you had just ridden a very thrilling roller coaster! As a hard rock album, there isn’t much ‘Classic Kansas’ here, although the title cut sounds a lot like the song “Belexes” from their first album. There are bits of proggy moments in various songs, most notably in “Hope Once Again” and “Cold Grey Morning”.

Thank God the violin has returned, even if it isn't Robby Steinhardt. David Ragsdale really shines here. I can’t say enough good things about him. Not only did he co-write several of the songs, but he plays lead guitar on the title cut. I don’t need to keep emphasizing my appreciation for his unique style on the violin, but I can’t help being impressed by such deep, emotional talent. He must have eaten a good breakfast every morning before going into the recording studio because the energy he puts out on this album is unbelievable.

Freaks of Nature hits hard from the beginning with “I Can Fly”, a song that could humble the most modern metal head, and continues with terrific sequencing all the way through to the painfully wistful “Peaceful and Warm”, which is one of the best songs Steve has ever written! Rags does beautiful work at the ending...the entire song can choke me up at times.

The sweet and slow “Hope Once Again” is a big fan favorite, and “Black Fathom 4” and the title cut keep you rocking in spite of their dark lyrics. Equally dark is “Under the Knife”, which I suspect is an autobiographical view of Steve’s painful road to addiction recovery. The lyrics on “Cold Grey Morning” are severely depressing, one of the bleakest songs Kerry Livgren has ever created for Kansas, but the soaring proggish elements in the music save it from the skip button.

My favorite song on this album is “Desperate Times” because of its wild tempo and odd lyrics. Fans might joke about rocket sleds, but I think it adds a cool sci-fi feel to the song. Steve’s vocal echoes at the end send chills up my spine! Kudos to Phil Ehart for the excellent drum solo, too brief as it was. He needs to show off his amazing skills more often, ala “Incomudro”!

The darkness of this album is balanced by the pure emotion of the music. The frankness and honesty of the lyrics are a testament to the growth and healing that Steve was going through at the time. Ragsdale’s intensity pulls it all together.

Overall, it was an awesome experiment with a different sound, yet it fit in well with the alternative and new metal movements of the 90s. Freaks of Nature is a damn fine album and would have sold millions had it gotten radio airplay. All of its songs are strong, effective, and fascinating. It remains one of my favorite Kansas albums of all time.