Forth

this record is good progressive rock. It has some jazzier elemnts to it. It does generally follow the feel of kansas while establishing an identity of it's own. in short I think it's a good album. with high quality musicianship , good vocals and good songs.

A good release but not nearly as progressive and expansive as the first two releases - understandable probably due to Kerry Livgren's health challenges. More commercial and concise this is kind of the "Proto-kaw goes AOR rock/pop" record - given the aftermath of Kerry Livgren's recovering from a stroke I understand it was difficult to play guitar and keyboards but you would never know it from the sound of the self-assured playing on the record. At some point I'd heard that the band had more or less broken up and reformed at least once prior to the production of this record. Given that this came out in 2011 and there has been nothing since I imagine this is the last we'll hear from the Proto-Kaw band as it was. A respectable effort if not quite as magical as "Before Became After" and "The Wait of Glory".

Look up Proto-Kaw's story on Wikipedia, then listen to the great music these old guys cranked out after thirty-five years apart. If you are a progressive rock fan from the late 60's through the early 80's, after listening to Proto-Kaw you will be deeply saddened by the fact that this is probably their last album, being only their fourth one. With their obvious talent, they could have been a force in progressive rock (like Kansas, Yes, Pink Floyd, early Genesis) if only we, the public, had heard and appreciated their musical gifts when they were first together. Of course, Kerry Livgren would have to have been cloned or split his time between two bands, but Steve Howe did it (Yes and Asia). I prize my Proto-Kaw CDs like rare gems that were lost to the world for decades, then unexpectedly found. But these gems are tragically too few and rare! These CDs are almost totally unavailable now, so you better get 'em while you can.

As an older Kansas fan, I had followed Livgren as he left the group and went onto his own thing(s). As he found his new life I expected changes in the music lyrically, and wasn't disappointed. I hadn't heard of Proto-Kaw before a couple of years ago and thought.. hmm.. let's see if this group is in the same old vein stylistically. I had purchased Before Came After and was suitably impressed, then Wait of Glory. Also good. Then I ordered The Early Recordings... uh-oh. Not so hot. Then this one came to my attention. A more recent album, maybe... just maybe...And still, not quite. The problem with reviewing music is it's intrinsically personal - what I perceive as "good" is someone else's crap. I have a hard time with lyrics that try to hard to be "mystical" or "deep"... and several songs here hit that point. Some just make no sense, like 'Things we are breaking'. Lyrically, the Christian base is still there, just not as strong as much earlier Livgren albums. Stylistically and musically... meh. Nothing truly outstanding, unfortunately. Some times it felt like I was listening to Jethro Tull.. and that ain't necessarily a good thing!

Strong vocals, wonderful classic song writing. This is a wonderful album. If you like classic Kansas and are not familiar with Proto-Kaw.....this is the reincarnation of classic Kansas. The violin is gone and a flute and sax has taken it's place...and with a wonderful and beautiful effect. Some may put this into the Christian Rock category and yes, the lyrical content is spiritually oriented but it's not in your face, very well done and feels more personal than preachy....and I absolutely love it. My favorite songs on this CD are tracks 4 through 7...they seem to blend seamlessly together to create a mood in the listener....it's very reminiscent of classic Kansas like Leftoverture and Point of No Return...for old classic prog rockers, this is quite an enjoyable offering - well done guys....hope you decide to do more.

Oh! What's that? You haven't heard of this group? They didn't make the Top Ten this week? Well, guess what. They SHOULD have! Great music! Give it a chance!

PROTO KAW'S 'FORTH' DISC IS A CONSISTENTLY GOOD,MODERATE PROGRESSIVE ROCK CD ALL THE WAY THROUGH WITH A VARIETY OF BEATS AND RHYTHMS;NOT ONE WEAK SONG ON IT.GREAT SOUNDING VOCALS,A VARIETY OF SYNTHESIZERS(IN SOME SONGS,IT DUPLICATES AMAZINGLY THE SOUND OF AN ORCHESTRA) WITH ACOUSTIC AND ELECTRIC GUITARS,PIANO,SOME FLUTE,SAX AND HORNS,DRUMS, BASS AND PERCUSSION.ONE OF THE BEST PROGRESSIVE ROCK CD'S I'VE HEARD IN A LONG TIME.CHECK IT OUT.YOUR IN FOR A TREAT. DAN

It's great to have Kerry and the boys back for some new tunes. These are great songs anchored by some good vocals. This makes you wonder once again where the heck was Meredith all these years prior to Proto Kaw(he's a great singer)? By the way, where the heck is Kansas? At least Kerry still produces some new music even after a near death experience. Maybe this is the real "Kansas". The other Kansas is lost in the cornfields.