ENCHANT – Tug Of War

Music’s funny sometimes. Occasionally you listen to a disc for the first time, and you instantly love it. You HAVE to listen to it again. And again. Until you are eventually tired of it, and you put it away, then drag it out in a few weeks and fall in love with it again. Other times, you hear a disc and you immediately know it’s dog shit. And some times, you have to listen to a disc a few times and let it grow on you. Like mildew.

Then there’s Enchant’s Tug of War. The first time I listened to it, I liked it. The more I listened, the less I liked it. Then I put it away. Then I got it back out, and liked it again. Go figure.

“Progressive rock” is a label Enchant appears to readily embrace. And frankly, Enchant is an updated version of Kansas. Lead singer Ted Leonard sounds EXACTLY like Steve Walsh. I always thought Kansas was inconsistent – absolutely all-time great songs interspersed with songs made by retarded apes. Tug of War has a touch of that inconsistency, but only a touch. It doesn’t hit the peaks or valleys, and flows seamlessly from one song to the next throughout the entire disc. It’s that flow that makes it difficult to pick just one song that stands out – they’re all solid. I’ll go with “Beautiful” as my favorite. With that, and $1.19, you can get a bottomless cup of coffee at Denny’s.

A staple of prog rock albums/songs is their length, and Enchant doesn’t disappoint. The 10-song disc gives you over 65 minutes of music. The long songs are not a hindrance; they’re along the line of more bang for your buck. (Plus, I just got to use the word “bang” in context. Sure it’s juvenile. Doesn’t make it wrong.)

If you’re a Kansas fan or a progressive rock fan or both, you’ll like Tug of War. Good musicianship, great vocals, and smart lyrics to boot. It’s all in there. Let it grow on you. Like mildew.