Morse, Neal - Neal Morse

Year of Release: 1999
Label: Metal Blade
Catalog Number: 3984 14278 2
Format: CD
Total Time: 55:40:00

If you like Spock's Beard's mellower moments, and are a fan of tuneful yet cynical music, then you are sure to like Neal Morse's solo release. Though I'm sure the time really has passed for this comparison, Morse has a dry style like the late Kevin Gilbert. This music that is deep in its simplicity. By that I mean sparse, clear arrangements, a small compliment of instruments, and honest feelings. No pompousness, no posing, no over-orchestration for the sake of it. This is music that speaks on the human level - we've been there, we've done that, we've felt this.

And here's a comparison that Morse probably won't appreciate, but I mean it in the kindest possible way - his vocal delivery on "Lost Cause" is very much like "Weird" Al Yankovich. Of course, there's that same dry sense of humour that Yankovich has. You could almost imagine that this is a parody of some other song sang in earnest, that Morse has twisted to his own ends. That isn't to suggest that the song sounds like a rip off of something out there, but has that keen, self-effacing quality that parodies often take. Of course, Morse gets serious on the next track, the bittersweet, tension filled "Landslide." This is a great track and one of my favourites. Although I wish the lyrics for this one had been included (some are, some aren't), Morse sings clearly enough that there's no trouble figuring them out. Like Gilbert, Morse has a voice that makes the emotion in the delivery clear and very effective.

Overall this album is less progressive rock than it is intelligent pop (though that phrase often seems to be an oxymoron) - rarely does he stray into the same territory he does with Spock's Beard, despite the presence of Nick D'Virgilio on drums, though you cannot deny the connection to the band ... Glenn Caruba handles percussion on one track ("A Whole 'Nother Trip"), and Chris Carmichael provides strings for "Emma" and "...'Nother Trip." Otherwise, it's Morse - guitar, piano, etc.

"Emma" is another one of those standout tracks, and one that cuts right to the heart - a heartfelt reflection on a tragic life. The strings, the acoustic guitar, and the gentle vocals all add to the melancholy of this tune. Another stellar track on this stellar album.

"Nowhere Fast" is a melding of Gin Blossoms, Goo Goo Dolls (and others of the same ilk) and 60's pop - tuneful, poppy, not quite Beach Boys and not quite the Beatles - a radio hit if there was one. And very, very wry.

"A Whole 'Nother Trip" is the closest to the quirky keyboard sound of Spock's Beard that Morse gets. "'Nother Trip" is one, a trip through a variety of quirky textures and tones, funky and fun, and a chance for the band to 'kick out the jams' as they say. Well, that's just the first part of "Bomb That Can't Explode," that moves into that expansiveness that SB has, that wide open epic feel.

This "trip" is too diverse to try to summarize or take a verbal snapshot of, so I'll just tell you that this is great, and varied, mixing elements like chugging guitars, whistling, vocal effects, audio effects, flamenco guitar and whatnot ... the final movement has a mid to latter day Pink Floyd feel about it (Dark Side of The Moon is one thing that came to mind).

This is a great album that doesn't suffer from the over-indulgence that a lot of solo albums do. There's genuine warmth here, both in his vocals and the arrangements - the sense that Morse respects both his built-in audience (SB fans) and new fans that may come to him from this album is evident throughout.

Perhaps the weakest track, but not by much, is "Everything Is Wrong." Even so, this is a very strong contender of my favourite album of the year, and comes recommended to Spock's Beard fans and non fans alike.

Tracklisting:
Living Out Loud (4:31) / Lost Cause (5:01) / Landslide (5:27) / That Which Doesn't Kill Me (4:42) / Everything Is Wrong (5:02) / Nowhere Fast (3:45) / Emma (3:16) / A Whole Nother Trip: a) Bomb That Can't Explode (9:02) b) Mr. Upside Down (4:40) c) The Man Who Would Be King (4:22) d) It's Alright (5:52)

Musicians:
Neal Morse - guitars, keyboards...lots more
Nick D'Virgilio - drums (except 1)
Glenn Caruba - percussion (8)
Chris Carmichael - strings (7, 8)

Discography:
Spock's Beard - The Light (1991)
Spock's Beard - Beware of Darkness (1995)
Spock's Beard - The Beard Is Out There Live (1995) (cd/vid)
Spock's Beard - Official Live Bootleg (1996)
Spock's Beard - The Kindness of Strangers (1997)
Spock's Beard - From The Vault - 1995-1998 (1998)
Spock's Beard - Day For Night (1999)
Spock's Beard - Live At The Whiskey and NEARfest (1999)
Neal Morse (1999)
Spock's Beard - Don't Try This At Home (2000)
Merry Christmas From The Morse Family (2000)
Neal Morse and Nick D'Virgilio - Two Separate Gorillas - Live In Europe (2000)
Spock's Beard - V (2000)
Transatlantic - SMPTe (2000)
It's Not Too Late (2001)
Transatlantic - Live In America (2001)
Transatlantic - Bridge Across Forever (2001)
Transatlantic - Bridge Across Forever - Special Edition (2001)
Spock's Beard - Snow (2002)
Testimony (2003)
The Transatlantic Demos (2003)
One (2004)
? (2005)
God Won't Give Up (2005)
Lead Me Lord (Worship Sessions Volume One) (2005)
Send The Fire - Worship Sessions Volume 2 (2006)
Morse Portnoy George - Cover To Cover (2006)
Songs From The Highway (2007)
Sola Scriptura (2007)
?: Live (2007)
Sing It High (2007)
One Demos (2007)
Secret Place - Worship Sessions Volume 3 (2008)
Lifeline (2008)
The River - Worship Sessions Volume 4 (2009)
So Many Roads (2009)
Mighty To Save - Worship Sessions Volume 5 (2010)
Testimony Two (2011)
Testimony 2: Live In Los Angeles (CD/DVD) (2011)
A Proggy Christmas (Inner Circle only release) (2011)
Morse, Portnoy & George - Cover 2 Cover (2012)
Momentum (2012)
The Prog World Orchestra - A Proggy Christmas (2012)
Flying Colors - Flying Colors (2012)
Flying Colors - Live In Europe (2013)
Songs From November (2014)
Flying Colors - Second Nature (2014)
Neal Morse Band - The Grand Experiment (2015)
Flying Colors - Second Flight: Live At The Z7 (2015)
Neal Morse Band - Alive Again Tour 2015 (2016)
Neal Morse Band - The Similitude Of A Dream (2016)
To God Be The Glory (2016)
Neal Morse Band - The Grand Experiment Demos (Inner Circle March 2016) (2016)
Neal Morse Band - Morsefest 2015 (CD/DVD) (2017)
Life & Times (2018)
Neal Morse And Friends - Morsefest 2016 Storytellers (Pt. 1) - Inner Circle March 2018) (2018)
Neal Morse And Friends - Morsefest 2016 Storytellers (Pt. 2) - Inner Circle March 2018) (2018)
Neal Morse Band - The Great Adventure (2019)
Jesus Christ The Exorcist (2019)
Flying Colors - Third Degree (2019)
Morse/Portnoy/George - Cov3r To Cov3r (2020)
Neal Morse Band - The Great Adventour - Live In Brno - 2019 (2020)
Flying Colors - Third Stage: Live In London (2020)
Sola Gratia (2020)
Neal Morse Band - Innocence & Danger (2021)
Flying Colors & The Neal Morse Band - Morsefest 2019 (2021)
Neal Morse Band - [Morse]Fest 2020 - Lockdown (2022)
Neal Morse Band - Morsefest 2021 (2022)
Neal Morse Band - An Evening Of Innocence & Danger - Live In Hamburg (2023)
The Dreamer - Joseph Part One (2023)
The Restoration - Joseph: Part Two (2024)
Late Bloomer (2024)
Neal Morse & The Resonance - No Hill For A Climber (2024)
Cosmic Cathedral - Deep Water (2025)

Transatlantic - Live In America (VID) (2001)
Testimony Live (DVD) (2004)
Sola Scriptura And Beyond (DVD) (2008)
Live Momentum (DVD) (2013)
Flying Colors - Live In Europe (2013)
Morsefest! 2014 - Testimony & One Live (DVD) (2015)
Neal Morse Band - Alive Again (CD/DVD) (2016)
Neal Morse Band - Morsefest 2015 - ? And Sola Scriptura Live (BR) (2017) Neal Morse Band - The Similitude Of A Dream - Live In Tilburg 2017 (2018)
Neal Morse Band - Morsefest! 2017: Testimony Of A Dream (2018)
Jesus Christ The Exorcist - Live At Morsefest 2018 (2020)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin US

Added: October 25th 1999
Reviewer: Stephanie Sollow
Score:
Artist website: www.nealmorse.com
Hits: 4818
Language: english