Freaks of Nature is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band Kansas, released in 1995.[6][7][8] Two edited singles were issued but did not chart, nor did the album itself, making it the only Kansas studio album not to appear on any Billboard chart. The band promoted the album by touring with the Alan Parsons Project, and then opening for Styx.[9][10]
| Freaks of Nature | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 29, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | 1995 | |||
| Studio | Caribbean Sound Basin, Trinidad, West Indies | |||
| Genre | Art rock, hard rock | |||
| Length | 45:14 | |||
| Label | Intersound (US)[1] Essential/Castle Communications (Europe) Sony Music (Japan) | |||
| Producer | Jeff Glixman | |||
| Kansas chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[4] |
| (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
Production
editRecorded in Trinidad, the album was produced by Jeff Glixman.[11][12] Violinist David Ragsdale cowrote four of Freaks of Nature's songs.[13] The band chose to forgo the overproduction of previous albums, including eschewing orchestral instrumentation.[14]
Critical reception
editEntertainment Weekly wrote that "the techno synths and hoedown fiddles of 'Need' and the AOR schmaltz and African drums on 'I Can Fly' are fairly innovative syntheses."[4] The Washington Post determined that the band "continues to sound like a middle-American knockoff of such British predecessors as Yes."[15]
The Deseret News noted that "the world-rhythm-inspired 'Need' adds a new angle to Kansas' Midwest progression while the album's title cut is pure, blues-based rock-a-rolla."[16] USA Today concluded: "If you insist on listening to overblown art-rock, the band's new Freaks of Nature album isn't any worse than 'Carry On Wayward Son'."[17]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Can Fly" | David Ragsdale, Steve Walsh | 5:21 |
| 2. | "Desperate Times" | Walsh | 5:25 |
| 3. | "Hope Once Again" | Walsh | 4:34 |
| 4. | "Black Fathom 4" | Walsh, Ragsdale | 5:54 |
| 5. | "Under the Knife" | Walsh, Ragsdale | 4:54 |
| 6. | "Need" | Walsh | 3:59 |
| 7. | "Freaks of Nature" | Ragsdale, Walsh, Phil Ehart | 4:05 |
| 8. | "Cold Grey Morning" | Kerry Livgren | 4:14 |
| 9. | "Peaceful and Warm" | Walsh | 6:44 |
Personnel
edit- Phil Ehart - drums, percussion
- Rich Williams - guitar, backing vocals
- Steve Walsh - lead vocals, keyboards
- Billy Greer - bass, guitar, backing vocals
- Greg Robert - keyboards, backing vocals
- David Ragsdale - violin, backing vocals
References
edit- ^ Sculley, Alan (23 June 1995). "KANSAS GOES BACK TO 'NATURE'". The Morning Call. p. D6.
- ^ Allender, Mark W.B.. Freaks of Nature at AllMusic
- ^ Larkin, Colin (May 27, 2011). "The Encyclopedia of Popular Music". Omnibus Press – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "Freaks of Nature". EW.com.
- ^ Cross, Charles R. (2004). "Kansas". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 446. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Ferguson, Jon (27 Oct 1995). "Kansas dusts off the old tracks". HAPPENINGS. Intelligencer Journal. p. 3.
- ^ Craft, Dan (19 July 1996). "A DEATH IN THE FAMILY". The Pantagraph. p. D1.
- ^ "Kansas Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Prince, David (21 July 1995). "KANSAS IS NOT JUST A LITTLE DUST IN THE WIND". PASATIEMPO. The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 52.
- ^ Kassulke, Natasha (21 Sep 1996). "STYX, KANSAS BRING THEIR HITS". Wisconsin State Journal. p. 4C.
- ^ Cain, Carol (October 27, 1995). "Kansas rocks Saturday". Press-Register. Mobile. p. 1E.
- ^ Cohen, Howard (August 25, 1995). "FROM BARRY WHITE TO MEGADETH, IT'S AN ECLECTIC MIX". Miami Herald. p. 23G.
- ^ Nichols, Natalie. "Eat Our Dust: Kansas Carries On". Entertainment. Tulsa World. p. 4.
- ^ Kinch, Tamara (August 18, 1995). "Carryin' on with the sounds of Kansas". The Times. Munster.
- ^ "It's been 17 years since 'Dust in the Wind'..." The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ Iwasaki, Scott (June 17, 1995). "'FREAKS' SPINS A WELCOME, FAMILIAR SOUND". Deseret News. p. B10.
- ^ Christensen, Thor (July 7, 1995). "Would the real band please stand up and sing?". USA Today.