Kansas went on a long hiatus from putting out new studio albums in the late 80's and early 90's, but they never stopped gigging during that time.  After the departure of Steve Morse the live version of the band brought in Greg Robert on keyboards, and the multitalented David Ragsdale on violin, guitar, and keys.  The band toured constantly and began to build back an audience.  Having Ragsdale in the band brought in a fresh vitality and re-established the all important electric violin to the Kansas sound.  Greg Robert freed up Steve Walsh from his keyboard duties allowing him to become more of a frontman and showman.  It was this lineup that went into the studio to record "Freaks Of Nature" in 1994.  This one gets mixed reviews from Kansas fans and I have a similar feeling.  On the one hand it is great to have a violin back in the band and Ragsdale is a very formidable talent.  On the other hand he is not always given that much to do and I think he could have been used more.  Steve Walsh's voice has changed considerably since the last album in 1988 and not for the better.  His once crystal clear vocals now have a definite raspiness to it.  His voice is not bad, but also not what it was.  The songs are for the most part good.  Some favorites include "Desperate Times", "Black Fathom 4",  "Freaks Of Nature", "Cold Grey Morning" and in my opinion the best song on the album the closer "Peaceful And Warm".  The rest of the album is decent although "Need" is pretty much a thruway track.  Overall I don't think "Freaks" was quite as good as fans were hoping for, but at the same time it was a decent effort from a band getting back on it's feet.
Kansas went on a long hiatus from putting out new studio albums in the late 80's and early 90's, but they never stopped gigging during that time. After the departure of Steve Morse the live version of the band brought in Greg Robert on keyboards, and the multitalented David Ragsdale on violin, guitar, and keys. The band toured constantly and began to build back an audience. Having Ragsdale in the band brought in a fresh vitality and re-established the all important electric violin to the Kansas sound. Greg Robert freed up Steve Walsh from his keyboard duties allowing him to become more of a frontman and showman. It was this lineup that went into the studio to record "Freaks Of Nature" in 1994. This one gets mixed reviews from Kansas fans and I have a similar feeling. On the one hand it is great to have a violin back in the band and Ragsdale is a very formidable talent. On the other hand he is not always given that much to do and I think he could have been used more. Steve Walsh's voice has changed considerably since the last album in 1988 and not for the better. His once crystal clear vocals now have a definite raspiness to it. His voice is not bad, but also not what it was. The songs are for the most part good. Some favorites include "Desperate Times", "Black Fathom 4",  "Freaks Of Nature", "Cold Grey Morning" and in my opinion the best song on the album the closer "Peaceful And Warm". The rest of the album is decent although "Need" is pretty much a thruway track. Overall I don't think "Freaks" was quite as good as fans were hoping for, but at the same time it was a decent effort from a band getting back on it's feet.