Published on Jul 5, 2004
[An earlier version of this review appeared on
Houseofshred.com in 2001]
As a fan of all kinds of music, and more importantly a fan of
all kinds of musicians, nothing makes me happier than seeing a
truly talented, yet relatively unrecognized performer step out from
their usual role as band member and take the limelight. Such is the
case with Billy Greer. For 16 years Billy has been the “Seventh
Key” to the musical entity known as Kansas. Besides laying down the
bottom line on bass, his searing tenor voice has been the lynchpin
to the awesome vocal harmonies Kansas is known for. Kansas’ fans
have admired this secret weapon for years and have been clamoring
for some original Greer material for some time.
Seventh Key proves what Kansas fans have known for years —
Billy Greer can sing like nobody’s business. Teaming with Billy in
Seventh Key is veteran Streets/Steelhouse Lane guitarist Mike
Slamer, who also produced. Slamer lends his distinctive shredding
and impeccable ear to produce a fresh, lush sound. Also on the disc
are a crew of familiar faces; guitar-god Steve Morse and Billy’s
fellow Kansas members Steve Walsh, Rich Williams and Phil Ehart are
all on hand (Walsh and Morse also contributed songs to the
project). The bulk of the disc features Greer on bass and vocals,
Slamer on guitar, drummer Chet Wynd, David Manion on keys and
another great voice, Terry Brock, providing harmony vocals.
Greer and Slamer unleash a blistering shred-fest right out of
the gate, with the opening track “The Kid Could Play,” a tribute to
Billy’s departed friend Marty Conn. What follows is a great
collection of original songs. From balls-to-the wall rockers like
“Prisoner of Love” and the anthemic “Only the Brave,” and melodic
rockers such as “Every Time it Rains” and “No Man’s Land,” to
gut-wrenching power ballads like my fave from the disc,
“Surrender.”
The highlight of this disc is the inclusion of four “lost” songs
from Billy’s early days with Kansas, including a couple of great
tracks penned by Kansas wailer Steve Walsh. These songs were
originally written and recorded for Kansas’
Power album, but were never released. The original
recordings for two of the songs were too damaged to use, but the
other two original demo tapes, “Every Time it Rains” and “No Man’s
Land” appear in remastered form on this album.
Sonically, think of the likes of Journey and Whitesnake with
more up-to-date arrangements. Solid classic rock styling wrapped up
in modern sound and production. I was much more impressed with this
disc than recent releases from more established classic rock icons.
Fans of great melodic rock with eat this up.