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As any number of music fans will probably line up to argue, the changing of a band lineup or record company can oftentimes be the very stimulus needed to roust a set of musicians from their given routine and spur them on to new levels of critical or commercial success.  If such a premise is to be believed, the members of the Kry would indeed seem poised for a breakthrough.  After chalking up ten years, four studio albums and a live effort with the Kry, lead guitarist and co-songwriter Pete Nelson exited in early 2000 to take up full-time youth ministry in Vail, Colorado.  Since that time, remaining members Yves and Jean-Luc LaJoie have replaced Nelson with Southern California guitar wiz Danny Donnelly, expanded the outfit to a four-piece with the addition of bassist David Roy and ended a nearly decade-long tenure with Freedom Records to sign with the Metro One label.

Unfortunately in the case of the new release, Undone, the results of the various and sundry shake-ups fall painfully shy of anything constituting an artistic leap.  Enervated entries such as "Maybe" and the faux-discofied "Beautiful" sand and polish away all nearly every evidence of the zeal and melodic sense that propelled the greater part of the group's back catalog.  Similarly, "Spark Up the Flame" and "Why" carry with them the feeling of musicians toying with the idea of a groove but never really locking into one.  And songs like "My  Everything" (You're my everything/ Everything I want/ Everything I need) and "Only The Love Of God" (Only the love of God/ Can make a heart believe/ Only the love of Jesus/ Holds the power to free us) highlight the band's ongoing struggle with lyrical originality.

Shards of promise crop up here and there.  "Run to You" shows hints of the infectious blend of hook-heavy power pop and straight-ahead rock that made the What About Now and I'll Find You There such listenable affairs.  "Glorious" and "All Over Again," likewise, possess a certain broad-sweeping tunefulness about them.  And, the fine opening track "Here" plays its alternately smoldering and sweeping sections off of one another to decidedly fine effect.  But even the sum total of these notable tracks isn't enough to bring the latest project up to eye level with its predecessors.  In all fairness, the Undone record is undeniably pleasant enough and its songs are indeed proficiently delivered, particularly in light of the dynamic nature of the Kry collective as of late.  Nonetheless, the overweeningly slick production and unenthusiastic instrumental section divest the proceedings of all but trace amounts of the LaJoie brothers' characteristic fervor and grit, leaving listeners with very little to really sink their teeth into.

Bert Gangl 11/7/2002