With a legendary career spanning nearly five decades, KANSAS has firmly established itself as one of America's iconic classic rock bands. This "garage band" from Topeka released their debut album in 1974 after being discovered by Wally Gold, who worked for Don Kirshner, and have gone on to sell more than 30 million albums worldwide. The summer of 2020 marks the release of "The Absence of Presence," KANSAS's sixteenth studio album, and contains nine new tracks.

"The Absence of Presence" leads off the album. It opens with charming piano notes and what sounds like saxophone notes. The Progressive elements are striking out of the gate, in the way the song is in a constant state of change. The harmonized vocals are dreamy, and the production top notch. It's mellow and charming, and moves slowly, allowing you to easily digest the music, which again is super-tight. Guitar and keys trade solos. "Throwing Mountains" features a heavier sound from guitars and keys, and then loosens up in the verses. The harmonized vocals here soar into the skies, but it's missing that familiar KANSAS punch when it comes to memorability.

"Jets Overhead" opens with a tender piano solo, and it's clear that the band is talented, in case you didn't know. What follows is a heavy passage of guitars and keys and a mid-tempo pace. The melodies here really shine, but it's hard to follow a central theme, as they change it up as it moves along. "Propulsion I" is a two-minute instrumental, consisting of thumping bass guitar notes and a quick crescendo of sound. This little number is a real firecracker. "Memories Down the Line" opens with piano and expressive vocals. It has a melancholy feeling to it. "Send these memories down the line" Ronnie croons. This song could easily be a single, even though it is a bit of a ballad. The keyboard notes climb high into the horizon. What a pretty song it is indeed.

"Circus of Illusion" features fast picked guitars and with audible bass notes and dreamy vocals. The melodies flow easily in the song and it's catchy and easy to follow. "Animals on the Roof" opens with keys, guitars, and bass playing competing notes but it works together in a synergy. Ronnie's vocals here are strong, as he negotiates into the upper ranges and the backing vocals wash everything away...your cares and your fears. The melodies here are a bit more intertwined and you have to work for them. "Never" opens with tender piano notes and the charming voice of Ronnie Platt. It has such a wide open sound here that expands easily with the addition of guitars and drums. It has such a charming set of hooks here that it's impossible not to impact you emotionally.

"The Song the River Sang" closes the album. It features some fast moving guitars and bass. It slows just after the half-way mark, with a bluesy guitar solo, and rides a crescendo through the end, fading out. Overall, I find it amazing that the band can still produce creative and catchy music after all these years. But, that's exactly what they have done here. The line-up might not be the original line-up, but the songs are very well crafted with beauty, pleasure, and charm. "Absence of Presence" might be their swan song, but I sure hope the keep going, because this album is excellent.