One

Neal Morse | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 2, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Metal Blade
• ASIN: B00065Y8UW
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,184 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Creation

2. The Man's Gone

3. Author Of Confusion

4. The Separated Man

5. Cradle To The Grave

6. Help Me/The Spirit And The Flesh

7. Father Of Forgiveness

8. Reunion

Editorial Reviews

Progressive/Christian Rock ARTIST BIO: At long last. The holy grail of prog! Take great artists like NEAL MORSE, MIKE PORTNOY and PHIL KEAGGY and put them together and...LOOK OUT! Here's how one reviewer put it: "Take Transatlantic, the orchestral beauty of Testimony and some clear nods to the prog greats of Genesis, YES, and Gentle Giant, along with some lesser pop sounds like old Tears For Fears and some Who derived moments and Neal's inescapable Beatles influence and you have it all." This is ONE great album! He goes on to say: "Speaking of Portnoy. Hold on to your socks! There are some absolute freak out moments of drum god envy going on! I mean that guy has done some freaky stuff with Dream Theater to say the least but there are a couple of tunes on here like "Author Of Confusion" that were seemingly written to give Portnoy the opportunity to shine, I dare say, brighter than ever before!" Here's what Neal had to say about it: "The Lord works in mysterious ways. I never thought this album was going to turn out as good as I think it has. I was stuck writing it for months. All along feeling like I needed help, knowing I had something, but also knowing it wasn't quite 'there'. I felt like it needed collaborators, but had no idea who those collaborators were. Then, along came Randy George (who was part of the Testimony band) and the correct missing words and music seemed to just roll off the tip of his tongue. He would say a line and I would shake my head, stunned, saying 'wow... that's IT!' Enter Mike Portnoy who is not just a master drummer but also a master at arranging parts and musical passages and almost immediately it took shape and was, well, almost PERFECT! Can you tell I'm excited?"

This album essentially tells the story of man's creation/separation/reunion with God. But, of course, that is not unique. What's unique about this album is the way in which the familiar story is told, with sweeping grand passages as well as heavy prog and emotionally wrenching songs, this is truly a unique album the likes of which has never been attempted before.

Also featured on the album is the guitar work and vocals of the great PHIL KEAGGY who also sings a duet with Neal ("The Cradle to the Grave").

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great, very listenable album, November 6, 2004

By 

John Spivey "stargazer_61" (Beautiful North Carolina) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One (Audio CD)

Neal Morse has returned to his musical roots. It's time to celebrate!

I really enjoy Mr. Morse's work, from "The Light" to "Testimony", no matter where his inspiration is coming from and with whom he is channeling it with. Yes, there are some that are better than others, but on the whole this man can really put it together. "One" has brought Mr. Morse back to where he was in his groove with Spock's Beard and Transatlantic. Where "Snow" and "Testimony" are enjoyable, they lack cohesiveness and I personally find them challenging to listen to. "V", "SMTP:e" and "Bridge Across Forever" have it all together, start to finish. "One" is in this league.

What separates him from others, prog and non-prog, is his Beatles influence. He wears it proudly and is not afraid to let it show often. That's what keeps his epics together. Each movement is just long enough to get the point across and leave the listener begging for more instead of waiting for the song to end already. Mike Portnoy is a big help in this area. He's probably the only person around who can tell Neal Morse when it's "enough".

Don't let the Christian label turn you off to this work. Take it in for the whole package that it is. I don't feel that he is out to preach to anyone, saying his life or way is better than yours or mine. He writes how he feels, which is what it's all about. This isn't you're typical, candy-a**ed dude strumming a guitar and singing praise to God and Jesus and Heaven with people sitting around him staring up with blank stares on the faces looking like they took one too many hits of Xanax. This is progressive rock.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One more, one better, February 9, 2005

By 

L. E Strickler - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One (Audio CD)

Neal Morse has created yet another gem. If you liked "Testimony" you will most certainly like "One."

Often times in the realm of prog rock it takes at least 2 or 3 listens, sometimes even more before a record can be fully absorbed and appreciated. I didn't have to wait that long with this disk. I was hooked immediately. As I continued to listen to this CD again and again, I was merely being reminded of its sheer genius.

Neal Morse seems to have found his niche. The music comes across with power, confidence and conviction - qualities that are certainly lacking in today's world of pop music rubbish.

Exceptional album from start to finish.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great CD, November 16, 2004

By 

Glenn O. Kirms (Northfield, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: One (Audio CD)

This is a great CD but as one reviewer noted the lyrical content can be redundant. That is one of the problems that faces Christian music today. I have no problem with this, but it will be very interesting to see where Neal takes it from here. When he was in Spock's & Transatlantic he could make his veiled references to his Christianity, but in such a way that it would just blow you away and really make you think about what he was saying. That's what I enjoyed the most about Neal and his music. And it's too bad that most of the Christian market will miss out on this great cd because it's not being marketed that way, but that's okay. Their loss for that. Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Petra and others need to take notice and where you can go with their genre of music. Neal brings forth nothing less than a full 80 minutes of great music which by Christian music's standards of 40-45 minutes this is exceptional. Add this cd to your collection, but please make an effort to get the special edition (I'm surprised no one has mentioned that) which adds another 40 minutes of bonus and cover tracks. Always a treat for fans of progressive music.