Customer Reviews

Native Window

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is,of course,the band project of the current members of Kansas sans Steve Walsh. The big question is--can they pull this off? The answer--a resounding 'Hell,YES!!' For those unknowing,Billy Greer is one fine vocalist his own self (check out his Seventh Key project). His high,crisp tenor is a perfect blending of Tommy Shaw (Styx) and Steve Walsh (Kansas). You could close your eyes and picture either of those two singing these great songs. No-it's not Kansas,but David Ragsdale plays a fine violin,and these songs are all peppered with his musical prowess. So you ARE reminded of the Kansas 'sound' here & there within each track. And Rich Williams & Phil Ehart do a great job rounding out this 'new' band. The songs? Listen to the samples,and you'll be immediately hooked and HAVE to order a copy like I did! Such a refreshing listen,I find myself smiling aLOT while hearing this cd,and you will,too. Did I mention the harmonies> They jump out at you and you'll simply HAVE to sing along! Every track here is a winner--huge congratulations to these guys for giving this music a chance.They deserve the highest praise. And check out the band photo inside the sleeve--you'll see Williams with a broad smile wearing fake,blackened teeth. It's hysterical (and the band is laughing heartily in the photo). The guys say they had a riot making this music,and it sure shows!Too bad Walsh doesn't want to write for Kansas anymore (the reason these guys made this effort),because with even 2-3 tracks added by Walsh,we'd have a fresh,new & updated Kansas. Trust me--you need this one,folks! Enjoy, T

It's definitely something different, but still fantastic music. It was difficult for me at first to consider the idea that the members of Kansas would be able to do that much without the presence of a keyboard player, but it's done magnificently. The songs are well-crafted and the performances tight and fluid. It's almost like there was a conscious effort to not allow the influence of so many years writing and performing with Kansas to affect these songs, but there are a few traces here and there. And other influences show as well. If Kansas is not going to record new material anytime soon, this is definitely the next best thing. Just a solid album of solid performances. This group's take on the Seventh Key song "An Ocean Away" is just as good as the original. Of course, it's Billy Greer. Fantastic and refreshing.

You can't have a recording by musicians from Kansas without having traces of Kansas. What is so great about this release is not only the incredible musicianship that's associated with Kansas but a fresh new sound and direction. Billy Greer's vocals are spot-on. Give it a listen if you like melodic rock. It really is a great release.

I'll go ahead and preface this review with the fact that I've been a long-time Kansas fan...the 2nd album I ever purchased was Two for the Show (in vinyl). So I can tell you that the past few years have been pretty dismal, with re-releases of re-releases being the only thing Kansas fans have got to see.

Well, that's all over now. Native Windows has taken up the slack. While it is not exactly "Kansas", that's ok...because nobody expects new music to sound the same anyway. Plus, this is not such a drastic change as when Steve originally left the band back in the mid-80s and Jon Elefante stepped in.

However, you can definitely hear "Kansas" in the music...it's unmistakable to me. And if you're not really sure, the craftsmanship and musicianship applied to all the songs is just as great as it was 30 years ago.

Greer's vocals is so close to Steve Walsh's original voice that he probably should have taken that spot in the band when Steve left the first time. Plus when you add the excellent violin work, powerful lyrics and great melody, this is just too good to miss.

I'm hard pressed to decide which song I like the most...so I won't. This will be one of those albums where I can skip from one song to the next without bypassing any...and I hope they keep doing albums, because this one was excellent!

An excellent CD. Just as you'd expect--excellent vocals, guitars (of course--it's Richard Williams!), violin and drums. Listen to it once, and you'll start singing the songs. For anyone who didn't know just what an credible voice Billy Greer has--here is the proof. A must buy. Nothing like new, fresh music--and this is just that!

This record, finds four musicans from the band Kansas, making some wonderful rock that stands on it's own as bright, new and well-crafted American music.

With, Billy Greer: bass guitar & vocals, Richard Williams: guitars, David Ragsdale: violins, mandolin & Phil Ehart: drums and persussion, here are four guys with decades of experience in rock music. With only Steve Walsh, missing here from today's Kansas line-up, you would expect this CD to sound very familar to what you have been hearing for over 35 years, from that other band. And there are touches and passages that do sound close to Kansas music, this band Native Window, has an identity all their own.


In another decade, a bunch of these songs would have been hit singles. "Miss Me", "Got To Get Out Of This Town", "Money", "Surrender", & "Light of Day" are well constucted, high-caliber rock music. As this is as good as any music can be, I doubt that Native Window, will gather much notice from the music buyers of 2009. But for the fans of rock music, this one is a diamond in a coal mine. Rock music is indeed alive today, but you need to go exploring to find it. You might not like every track on this CD, {it is 9 out of 10, for me.} But, if still enjoy that rock sound that dares to be a bit more creative. The excellent music found here, could bring you back more than a few years.


Rock, isn't dead yet!
4.5 Stars !!!

Great songwriting, accomplished musicians and mighty fine production quality! ADD THIS CD TO YOUR LIBRARY. I sure hope these tracks get some airplay but with radio being what it is today you never know.... Call your radio stations and ask them to play it!!

Wow, This is a new and creative sound that grows on you with every tract. With still a trace of Kansas, the lyrics, the melodies, the harmonies are unique and catchy. I'm looking forward to seeing these guys in concert.

As a die-hard Kansas fan, I purchased Native Window knowing it was basically Kansas without Steve Walsh. I honestly can't find a throwaway track on the CD; my favorite tracks are Still (We Will Go On), Blood on the Water, and An Ocean Away. It is refreshing that Kansas' band members are still creative instead of just cranking out their old hits in new ways. If you enjoy Kansas' violin-infused progressive rock you will be glad you gave this CD a try.

I didn't know about this CD until this past Saturday, 2/20/2010 when I went to a KANSAS concert and saw the boys perform some of the songs from the CD LIVE. And I tell you it was amazing. Even if you arent a KANSAS fan you will love NATIVE WINDOW. Breifly four of the five members of Kanas decided they wanted to write and perform some new songs but Steve Walsh and Kerry Livgren had said they didn't have an interest in writing any new material for the group...so the rest of the band got together and wrote some new songs, called themselvs Native Window and the rest will now be history.
To me there are no bad tracks on the CD. So just sit back and enjoy the first of hopefully many more Native Window CDs.