Monday 31 May 2010

Kayak - Act of Despair [Single] (2006)

Tracklist:
1. Act of Despair
2. The Inquisition [New Edit Version]
3. The Fate of Man










An act of despair? – 7,5/10

To release this single from the Nostradamus musical from all the other songs, was that an act of despair? Perhaps. Although the musical contained a lot of single-worthy material, there’s no surprise the old symphonic rockers chose this very song to promote their album. It pretty much sums up Kayak as a band and it features Edward Reekers, the man who sung on the big hit “Ruthless Queen”. What better promotion is there? If fans who disbanded the band when Heerink joined would have heard this on the radio they would certainly need to come back to the band instantly.

Yes, I am convinced “Act of Despair” was the proper track to be released as a single. It’s a beautiful piano ballad with a slightly sad tone featuring our beloved Edward Reekers on vocals and boy he can still sing those ballads with so much passion. A really fine guitar solo by Joost Vergoossen adds the finishing touch to another Kayak classic. It’s accompanied by two b-sides. The first is a new edit version of “The Inquisition” with Rob Vunderink on vocals. I never was struck by the album version, but all this version seems to change is to shorten the Gregorian chants in the middle. The vocal performance is great; the riff is great; but the finishing is poor. The chorus lacks a lot of originality in the chorus, which just ruins the song. The second b-side is “The Fate of Man” with Cindy Oudshoorn on main lead vocals. It’s a good epic ballad with a sad tone and concludes the single release well. It’s quite funny they chose to add three songs each featuring one of the three remaining vocalists on the lead vocals. This single was probably released by the time the tour was over and Bert Heerink had left the band to record with his sister.

All in all, this is a good single. Though the b-sides may not be all that original, it’s good song material for two-third anyways, and it will do well to promote the album and the band’s current status. Highly recommended for those who collect Kayak singles.

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