Don't let the title of this album fool you, this is far from the average best of or greatest hits collection. There are two brand new songs and everything else has either been re-mastered or re-recorded. Drawing on Kerry's post Kansas material this is a masterful collection of tunes from the solo and AD albums. Back in action are AD vocalists Warren Ham and Michael Gleason as well as Jacob Livgren, Kerry's nephew, who can rock with the best of them. The album also serves as an introduction to a new vocalist by the name of June Murphy. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for this young lady. She has a great set of pipes!
When I say that many of the tracks have been re-recorded or re-mastered, there is enough of a significant difference in the recordings to make the purchase of this album worthwhile. Some of the material on this project such as "Ground Zero" goes back twenty two years to Kerry's first solo venture. Yet nothing on here sounds dated or stale, good music is good no matter how old it is and the songs presented here are not just good, they're great. Songs like "To Live for the King" and "Exiles" are just as vibrant and fresh as the newer material. Kerry handled almost all of the instrumental chores such as guitars, percussion and keyboards with an occasional assist on drums from Chris Kearney. Back in the days of yore, I got a chance to see Kerry play not only with Kansas but also with AD, to say that this guy is a musical genius is quite a bit of an understatement. To those who are familiar only with "Dust In The Wind" or "Carry On Wayward Son" this collection is a great introduction to an artist who has been putting out thoughtful masterful rock music for over thirty years. Thankfully it looks like he will be doing so for quite a long time to come. Now only if we can get him back out on the road again.
5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #98Reviewed by Doug Van PeltAll of us have that small group of artists that we'll buy anything created from; whether it's solo projects, books, videos (heck, even t-shirts and posters!). Kerry Livgren is one such artist in my elaborate tastes. This "Best Of" project was put together entirely by Livgren himself, so we get a chance to hear what songs move him; rather than the politics of a record label after said artist has…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Ken WestphalThis is simply a must have album for any fan of Kerry Livgren, Kansas, or the blend of rock and progressive elements that made them international stars of the genre in the first place. For anyone who is not familiar with Livgren's solo work or his '80s band, AD, this would be an excellent sampler as it spans the 3 decades of his work apart from Kansas, beginning with songs from Seeds of Change…
