Kayak - Close to the Fire (2000)

Tracklist:
1. Close to the Fire
2. When Hearts Grow Cold
3. Dream Child
4. Frozen Flame
5. Forever
6. Worlds Apart
7. Crusader
8. Two Wrongs (Don't Make a Right)
9. Anybody's Child
10. Here Today
11. Just a Matter of Time
12. Full Circle
13. Ruthless Queen [*]

The Great Comeback – 8,5/10

About eighteen years after the breakup of Kayak in 1982 there finally appears a new studio album in store. It features almost the same lineup as on Royal Bed Bouncer and The Last Encore, which is my favorite lineup. The only difference is the absence of Johan Slager, who has been replaced with Rob Winter, thus not recapturing the magical sound of that very lineup. Furthermore, this was an album many looked forward too, and I don’t think they would have been disappointed.

Present is once more the somewhat raw and unique voice of Max Werner, who preferred to drum on the last Kayak albums before the breakup rather than sing. But we all rather hear him sing and we are given the joy of hearing him on the studio record for the last time. Bassist Bert Veldkamp and drummer Pim Koopman have both returned to Kayak as well, and this rhythm section still sounds as enchanting and subtle as ever. And of course, the always present Ton Scherpenzeel never dropped the value of his compositions. New guitarist Rob Winter is not Johan Slager, but nevertheless plays very satisfying. We get to hear the very impressive entrance to the album in the epic title track, changing from the mysterious intro with cold winds all the way to the adventurous and epic feel in the chorus. Not to mention the great flute melody that almost makes the song. The melody of the vocals leaves a powerful impression, especially with the power Max Werner gives to them. He sounds a lot fuller and lower on this album than on previous Kayak releases with his voice. The interplay is also nothing but a sign that Kayak returned to their fans not to play, but to demonstrate they are really back and not only for a one-effort. The massiveness of the title track is not really mirrored in the other tracks on the album. However, they’ve got their own beauty. “When Hearts Grow Cold” is a sad song with mostly piano and Werner. Like Kayak can do so well, the melody is incredibly beautiful, original and catchy. It’s magical. Just close you eyes and listen to the crying guitar of Rob Winter in combination to the piano and Werner’s sad vocals.

The album does not consist solely of massive epics and magical ballads. Track like “Two Wrongs” or “Just a Matter of Time” are happy pop songs heard and dismissed before on the Periscope Life album. Apart from that I think I can say there’s really good material on here. “Dream Child” recaptures the mysterious feel of the title track with powerful commanding vocals by Werner. There’s a sad epic in “Frozen Flame”, which might as well be the finest track of the album. Again the crying guitar theme makes the song and recaptures that magical feel of “When Hearts Grow Cold”. When Kayak go up-tempo they often produce less-quality tracks like “Two Wrongs”, but “Forever” is a true exception. It reminds a bit of “Dream Child”, but certainly has an own face as there’s much more energy in this track. The tension is built up brilliantly and this results in a pretty good rock song. Ballads like “Worlds Apart” and “Here Today” don’t end up as good as the earlier ballads, but still are decent songs, with both another sad theme. That’s quite depressing actually; all songs seem to have a theme related to lost love and failed relations (with the exception of “Close to the Fire” and “Full Circle”). “Crusader” gets noticed because of its strong guitars in the intro, soon swept aside by the main panflute melody which adds a cool ambience to the song. Halfway the power of the crusader decreases and there comes a soft break with the guitar weeping gently. After a few tears shed by Winter we get back to the great mid-paced main theme. It’s a great song... only a pity they go back to the guitar-cry-part somewhere near the end... a bit of a nasty way to end the song.

Two gems a bit more near the end are the last of your ear-worthy tracks. “Anybody’s Child” was written by Pim Koopman and is slightly anthemic in the chorus. It recaptures the magic set by “When Hearts Grow Cold”, but in a more cheerful way. A bit of a light between the dark themes of all the other songs. “Full Circle”, the album closer, is among the best tracks of the album. It starts off with a bit of a Caledonian folk gentle part and soon evolves into a wild folk dance with the drummer having a lot of fun. Guitarist Andy Latimer from Camel makes an appearance here, and I guess he does the well-sounding folk melodies. There’s a bonus track added to every edition, which is a re-recording of their biggest commercial hit “Ruthless Queen”, with Syb van de Ploeg from De Kast on vocals. I always hated this version. Van de Ploeg does not sing it well at all. They should not have included it.

All in all, Close to the Fire does not rank up with Royal Bed Bouncer and The Last Encore, but is a damn good attempt at doing so. This album will belong to any Kayak fan’s top 5 without question. Highly recommended if you like Kayak.

Strongest tracks: “Close to the Fire”, “Frozen Flame” and “Full Circle”.
Weakest tracks: “Two Wrongs” and “Just a Matter of Time”.