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Neal Morse | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 1, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Metal Blade
• ASIN: B000BI1YJW
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,155 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Temple Of The Living God

2. Another World

3. The Outsider

4. Sweet Elation

5. In The Fire

6. Solid As The Sun

7. The Glory Of The Lord

8. Outside Looking In

9. 12

10. Entrance

11. Inside His Presence

12. The Temple Of The Living God

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Could Possibly Be Neal's Best Work, Period!, November 21, 2005

By 

Doc Sarvis - See all my reviews

This review is from: ? (Audio CD)

As a longtime Spock's Beard and Transatlantic fan (not to mention Neal's solo work), I know what angst the title of this review might cause in some fans. I have followed Neal since "The Light" burst Spock's Beard on the scene, and helped to usher in a new, "third wave" of prog rock that is still going strong. Like many other fans, I too was upset when Neal left SB (and TA) at the height of their popularity because of his newfound embrace of evangelical Christianity. In hindsight it seems a really brave thing to do for the sake of one's faith (to make a clean break with the past). and thus I have come to respect his solo work on its own terms, since Neal is still such a great prog-rock talent. Since leaving SB, he's replaced the rest of the band with first-rate musicians such as Mike Portnoy (!) and Randy George, and has more or less replaced the lyrics of SB tunes with Christian-themed verses. This has been tough for some of the old SB crowd to swallow, but the fact remains that Neal is still putting out some great music (something that even his least religious fans will grudgingly admit).

Now, with Neal's new album, "?", many of Neal's fanbase will need to reinterpret their position on his entire body of work. I believe this to be perhaps the best thing he has done in his entire career. Here's why:

1. This album comes extremely close to capturing the old Transatlantic vibe (not too surprising since three of the four TA members play here), and even takes it a step further by adding some hard-edged Dream Theater-esque riffs, likely arising from the guest presence of DT and Liquid Tension Experiment member Jordan Rudess.

2. It also goes a long way to recapturing the Spock's Beard magic. This is of course largely due to the presence of SB alumnus and brother Alan Morse, whose signature sound is unmistakably present.

3. Lyrically this could be the best thing Neal has ever done. Yes, the verses are religious-themed, but in a much less in-your-face manner than his first two post-SB prog albums, "Testimony" and "One". Where "Testimony" was a conversion story, and "One" talked about man's relationship to God through Christ's atonement, "?" is much more complex theologically. I'll leave it to the listener to make their own interpretation, but suffice it to say that this time the lyrics deal with the ancient Jewish practice of Temple worship, and how the concept was replaced, in evangelical Christian thought at least, by the coming of Jesus. Pretty heady stuff actually, and while it may not be everyone's cup of spiritual tea, even the most heathenistic among Neal's fans will be forced to admit that these lyrics are a quantum leap ahead of any that Neal wrote for SB, in terms of sophistication if nothing else.

This is simply a great third-wave prog album. Steve Hackett from Genesis even makes a brief showing, providing a geneological link to the classic prog efforts of the 70s. Don't let anxieties about the lyrics deter you - they are just obtuse enough to have no effect if you're not interested, and if the subject does interest you they will be surprisingly poignant.

Enjoy! To Neal et. al., thanks for a great recording.

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The question has been answered, November 1, 2005

By 

Murat Batmaz (Istanbul, Turkey) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: ? (Audio CD)

Neal Morse's new solo album ? embarks on excellent songwriting as always. It is rich in progressive rock elements reminiscent of his former bands Spock's Beard and Transatlantic; as well as his previous solo works, in that it is a continuation of his spiritual and musical journey. ? is a single long-form composition divided into twelve tracks. Other than that, the flow from one piece to another is so seamless and natural that some parts of the melodies actually bleed into the following track without the listener noticing it. Furthermore, there are certain themes, melodies or subtle lyrical references used in more than one song to tie each piece together and suggest a sense of wholeness.

Arguably Morse's most progressive solo work, this album features an incredibly impressive list of guests, added to his long-time rhythm section consisting of Randy George on bass and Mike Portnoy on drums. Alan Morse, Neal's brother from Spock's Beard, returns to the fold to offer his guitar talents along with Roine Stolt from The Flower Kings (Morse also appears on Stolt's upcoming solo album by the way). However, the biggest surprise for me was the addition of Genesis mastermind Steve Hackett, whose unique and easily identifiable phrasing and tone set him apart from pretty much everyone else out there. Last but not the least, Dream Theater's keyboard wizard Jordan Rudess also graces ? with timeless synth solos that duel with both Alan Morse and Roine Stolt's lead guitars. As usual, there are a good dose of cellos, violins, horn sections, bag pipes, and Mark Leniger's trademark saxophone sounds to enrich the compositional qualities of the songs, interwoven into the mix thanks to Neal Morse's amazing skill for song arrangement and production.

The album starts and ends with a piece titled "The Temple of the God", giving a good explanation of the concept underlying it, and both pieces share some common lyrics and musical ideas. For instance, while the opener begins with soft wind effects and indiscernible whispers; the last track ends exactly in the same way. However, the body of the songs are filled with hugely varying elements. A distant blues guitar harmony starts the album off, followed by Neal's unique vocals where he sings over a lengthy piano melody. His voice is full, strong and incredibly expressive. There is just something in his timbre that makes up for any technical inefficiency he may possess. All of a sudden, the piece breaks into a full-blown prog rock piece as keys and swirls of jazz motifs are introduced to define the song, while a classic Spock's Beard type of guitar theme produces immortal melodies that go on and on until they segue into the following track "Another World", only to develop a stronger character and become more intense. Neal effectively delivers a repeated chorus in a capella style, while in the closing track things are executed completely differently. The same chorus doesn't kick in until the last two minutes because of a huge wall of sound created by a hybrid of symphonic rock, multi-track guitars (two of them harmonise with each other, while the third one returns to play the same theme heard on the first two pieces) and massive vocal harmonies delivering the same chorus. It is beautiful.

Every track has its own trait. From the strummed acoustic chords and Mellotron sounds on "Another World" to the flutes and bells on "The Outsider" (given the percussion work here it is easy to tell Portnoy had a finger in co-writing this one) to the amazing solo trade between Alan Morse and Jordan Rudess on "Sweet Elation", the whole album is also laced with dramatic passages of piano, saxophone, and lush string work. Moreover, fans of Transatlantic will rejoice when they hear the Zappa-like "In the Fire", featuring a mix of everything that ranges from both a bass and drum solo, harmony vocals, a fantastic lead guitar solo what seems to be Roine Stolt, blues rock meets 70's Hammond sounds, another crazy synth lead by Rudess, and finally a funky bass figure to wrap things up. Strings and a big orchestral arrangement form the brief piece "The Glory of the Lord", while on the acoustic guitar and piano-driven ballad "Outside Looking In", we have an ethereal Steve Hackett solo that is simply out of this world. "12" is another ballad displaying Morse's vocals at their most fragile yet also emotive state together with jazz piano, counterpoint vocals and glistening cymbals from Mike Portnoy. The piece ends with a cutting instrumental break where I believe Alan Morse and Roine Stolt first solo individually and then meet Rudess' keys as he enters the scene. The multi-guitar leads are also amazing on "Inside His Presence" where Neal Morse lets out a fantastic scream towards the end.

? is another addition to Morse's ever-growing back catalog. While he still continues his quest to find God, he also proceeds to write amazing music with moving melodies and numerous dynamics. I personally believe bashing the guy for the religious imagery he uses in his songs has been done to death. No one is forcing you to analayze his lyrics. I'm not even Christian and his lyrics don't bother me at all. His music is simply too strong and clever to distract from the listening experience.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Work Of A True Musical Genius, April 1, 2006

By 

Steven Prinz "Pigasus the Flying Pig" (Livonia, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: ? (Audio CD)

There are few musical artists alive today that I would dare call "Musical Geniuses". To earn this esteemed honor, they must be able to consistently churn out exciting, interesting, catchy and thought provoking music that takes influences from a multitude of different genres, and mixes them all together into something truly original. Stephen Wilson (Porcupine Tree) is one. Another is Neal Morse. With his third solo release since leaving "Spock's Beard", Neal Morse has once again produced a true masterpiece. I have to admit that after listening to his previous release "One" over and over again because it was so incredible and infectious, I thought he surely had reached the pinnacle of his career. "One" was such an unbelievable work; it had to be his Magnum Opus. How could he possibly top it? How could anyone? I actually put off buying "?" because I thought anything Neal did from that point forward would have to pale by comparison. Was I ever wrong! This CD is Neal Morse's finest work by far!

The CD starts out rather subtly, but only so it can draw you in slowly. Then it just grabs on and refuses to let go. The flow of the album is absolutely superb, changing tempo and melodies at the perfect moments every time. At some points it's simple and beautiful; at other times intricate and complex, and at some points it just plain rocks out hard. Not really a collection of songs, "?" is more like one big composition that is meant to be listened to as a whole. The music incorporates a myriad of influences: As one would expect, you can hear some ELP, Kansas, King Crimson, and Yes in the mix (this is after all, a Prog album) but at times it takes a turn toward jazz, drifts over to mid-eastern music and touches base with classical and traditional choral music. You never really know quite what to expect next, but when it comes, you realize that's exactly what should have gone there.

If you know Neal's history, it will come as no surprise that the lyrical theme throughout the CD is Christian in nature. However, the message is subtle and never overly preachy - Christ is mentioned only once on the entire album. There are numerous references to God and a couple to the bible, but collectively, the songs never come across as trying to convert you to any faith or belief. Rather, they present a view of the world we live in to the listener and merely offer a spiritual option - take it or leave it. Overall, the lyrical theme is very upbeat - this is not music that will leave you feeling down or angry.

I highly recommend "?" to anyone who appreciates quality music with insightful lyrics and exceptional playing. Though you may not feel, as I do, that this is the best CD release of 2005, I know it will quickly find its place on your "if I were stranded on a desert island..." list.