Earlier this year rumors of the death of Genesis abounded after Phil Collins decided to quit, thus ending a twenty-five year relationship with the band.

When Collins joined Genesis in 1972, the band had already established a cultish following throughout the world, but was far from mainstream, even for that time. He played a low-key role as drummer and occasional vocalist, doing his thing more or less behind the scenes on three albums until late in 1975 when Peter Gabriel decided to leave the band. At that point the remaining members had to decide whether it was time to stop, or to continue. They chosed to keep going, with Phil moving from the back of the stage to the front -- at least most of the time. What happened next was something of near-fairytale proportions. In the twenty years that followed, Genesis went from a semi-obscure Progressive Rock bands to one of the most successful super groups in the history of Rock music. From clubs to stadiums, the band played to sold out crowds wherever they went. Each successive album propelled them even farther than the one before and it seemed that everything Collins did turned to gold -- be it with Genesis or in his brillian solo career.

So when Collins made it official, when he decided enough was enough, his announcement dropped the final curtain for Genesis after a nearly three-decade run.

Or did it?

Enter Ray Wilson, the relatively unknown former front man of the obscure U.K. band Stiltskin. From the very start I thought this was an incredibly bold move on behalf of Rutherford and Banks. They could have taken their choice from many 'names' in the business. They could have just walked away -- they've already paved the kind of career that dreams are made of. But they didn't choose a name and they didn't walk away. Instead they took a step back and effectively started all over again. The result of this genesis (if you will pardon the horrible pun) is "Calling All Stations".

A lot of fans are not going to take to the new Genesis. Hell, if you read the newsgroups you'll see that a lot of fans still haven't accepted the fact that Peter Gabriel left and that was a whole generation ago! The changing of the guard in the band has created a metamorphasis -- this is a new band.

While one could make draw some pretty bold parallels between the vocal stylings of Gabriel and Collins, with Wilson there will be no such comparisons. His is a totally different sound. At times rough and struggling to contain itself, Wilson's vocals can often be described as smoky, almost sultry. This is not to say he can't sing or that he is a bad singer -- personally I happen to like his voice -- but his is nothing like his predecessors. He doesn't seem to have Collins' vocal range (but then again, does Collins still have Collins' vocal range?), so I wonder how capable he'll be when it comes time to do the "old" stuff in some of the band's upcoming live gigs.

Musically, "Calling All Stations" is somewhat darker and more subdued than previous Genesis offerings -- noticeably missing are the two or three requisite pop-smash-singles that Collins has become notorious for churning out. You won't find any "Paperlate" or "That's All" or "Hold On My Heart" on this CD. In fact, if you listened to "Calling All Stations" casually, you'd probably be hard pressed to recognize the band at all. But Banks and Rutherford are still there, as potent and wonderful as ever -- you just have to pay attention to hear them.

I should probably mention that Ray Wilson is not the only new member of the band. With Collins gone, the band not only lost their vocalist, but their drummer as well. The drumming on this disc was divvied up between Nick D'Virgilio and Nir Zidkyahu. The tracks featuring D'Virgilio are good, but nothing spectacular. Zidkyahu on the other hand has a really punchy, fresh style and, quite frankly, he really kicks ass. Take a listen to the opening and closing interludes on the track "The Dividing Line" and you'll see what I mean.

So what is "Calling All Stations" all about anyway? Well, if I had to sum the album up in one tight throught, I'd say it's about a relationship teetering on the edge of falling apart. There's a lot of fighting, a lot of anger and a lot of making up going on. Phil always had a penchant for doing songs about relationships gone bad. The "new" Genesis still says an awful lot about relationships, but there's a lot less smarminess going on and a lot more in the way of attempting to see what is going on beneath the surface. Maybe this is why "Calling All Stations" has such a dark, unsettled feel about it.

The opening, title track begins with a raw guitar flourish that is very uncharacteristic of the band. In my opinion, Mike Rutherford's guitar capabilities have never really been explored by the band and, to my ears anyway, this quick burst of unadulterated guitar is like a wake up call saying "Hey, if you didn't already figure this out, this is something completely different!". Lyrically, this song depicts an incredible emptines, perhaps death, converging on someone, making him realize he has taken for everything good in his life for granted:

To think everything everything that's dear to me

and is always in my heart

could so easily be taken

and it's tearing me apart

going over and over in my mind

I relive it one second at a time.

This track features some halfway decent jamming amongst the musicians and really showcases the new voice. Wilson sings with great emotion and he makes the song work very effectively.

"Congo" is the first single and is probably the most upbeat song on the disc (musically anyway). Tony Banks shines on this one with his always new, always fresh synth sounds. Nir Zidkyahu sets up a memorable groove in this song about obsession. It's kind of a fun, groovy song on the surface, but the lyrics are dark -- unsettling.

"Shipwrecked" is a sweet song about love lost ("I'm helpless and alone, drifting out to see, I can't believe what you said to me"). Lost love songs might be Phil's domain, but this is a whole different angle and, once again, it works. There's a lot of emotion here -- something that, at least for me, came up short on several of Phils attempts to pull at my heart strings.

"Not About Us" showcases another thing I'm not used to hearing on a Genesis album -- Mike Rutherford trots out an accoustic guitar on this one and really gives this song a polished, kind of 'unplugged' feel. This one, co-written by Wilson, is another one about a rocky relationship. This is yet another song to set up the theme of emptiness and loneliness tha tis prevalent on "Calling All Stations"

"The Dividing Line" is a really great jam. This would be the perfect song to open a live show with. It starts off with a bit of a keyboard loop, then eases in a tightly arranged drum segment, followed by Rutherford's impeccable guitar and a quick Keyboard solo by Tony Banks. After a couple minute musical interlude, Wilson ratchets teh intensity with a powerful set of lyrics and is then ushered out with another instrumental jam-session. This is the song to win over a crowd of potentially undecided fans. Guys, if you're reading this start your show with this song!

The rest of "Calling All Stations" is high quality. From the punchy, sarcastic tone of "Small Talk", to the desperation of "There Must Be Some Other Way" to the remeniscence of "Uncertain Weather", every song on this disc is powerful in its own right. The lyrical capabilities of Banks and Rutherford are still strong. I am not aware to what extent, if any, Wilson co-wrote, but Genesis has retained its lyrical sophistication.

The only thing that really stands out in my mind from a critical standpoint is the darkness of "Calling All Stations". Whereas some of the pre-Wilson pop standards were often cute almost to the point of being smarmy, a good "I Can't Dance" really lightened up the powerful emotional landscapes painted by songs like "Driving the Last Spike" and "Dreaming While You Sleep" on their last studio effort. There aren't any light and cutesy songs on this disc. To some this is probably a blessing, but to my ears this disc is almost too dark. All in all though, it's a damn good album and there's enough depth and complexity in the music and lyrics to keep me coming back again and again. I recommend "Calling All Stations" highly!

The rumors of Genesis' death have been greatly exaggerated!