Let It Out

Let It Out was welcomed by Kraan's fans and savaged by the critics, and in retrospect both reactions are understandable. The fans heard new material like "Luftpost," in which a musical phrase is tossed between the sax, guitar, and new member Ingo Bischof's keyboards, and they looked forward to more new pieces with the added depth and interplay. Critics noted the generally lower energy level of the album and the diminished role of sax genius Johanes Pappert, who cedes a lead role to Bischof's keyboards on several tracks. Coming after the brilliant Live album, the mellow, relaxed sound on several of these pieces was a letdown. The experimental cuts were also less successful than usual, with the echoing voice and electronic soundscape of "Die Maschine" going on well after it had run out of ideas. If Kraan had made this album earlier in their career the critics would no doubt have applauded it, but their expectations were perhaps unreasonably high after the relentless inspiration of the two previous albums.