Customer Reviews

One

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I am not one who writes reviews. But I was so moved by this effort that I just had to write to say that it seems to have all come together for Neal on this CD. I had an extended (16 hour) drive home from the Christmas holidays and was able to put on my headphones in the car and just listen uninterrupted to this masterpiece. As with most of Neals work, it just gets better and better every time I listen to it. The movement of the music from beginning to end keeps the listener engaged. The structure and timing of each song just works perfectly. I am a LONG TIME listener of Prog Rock and was just telling my wife this morning as we were heading to town for our morning coffee that this CD is I think the best one I have ever heard. I was also thrilled that Mike Portnoy was willing to add his most amazing talent to this effort. It is quite a tribute to their friendship that Mike would be willing to play his heart out on a project that is so overtly Christian oriented. As a believer myself, you can imagine how excited I am to FINALLY have something decent to listen to in this genre. Most of what comes out in the CCM area is practically unlistenable to me, although I respect and appreciate their efforts.

Anyway, my congratulations to Neal,Mike and Randy. I can't imagine how they can top this, but I can't wait to see where they go from here.

God Bless this effort. Hopefully many will be moved in a way they never have been by this tremendous effort.

I consider Neal Morse current progressive rock's best composer, and this is yet another winner in a long line of great albums that he has taken part in. The sound quality is better on One than on Neal's previous album Testimony, which is a plus. The electric guitar, bass (played by Randy George), and drums (played by Mike Portnoy) all sound better this time around.

The opening track, "The Creation," reminds me of Neal's past work like "All of the Above," "At the End of the Day," and even "The Water." It's a good epic but isn't one of my favorite tracks on the CD. The emotionally-charged part with the line, "Why? Why are you hiding?" is its highlight. The short "The Man's Gone" is a pleasant atmospheric acoustic song. "Author of Confusion" is full of crazy rocking mayhem, with Gentle Giant-esque vocal arrangements and a section with Hammond organ that would have fit in on a classic Kansas album. Fans of Neal's Spock's Beard songs like "Thoughts Part II" or "Gibberish" should love this one.

Next comes an astonishing extended track: "The Separated Man." The first part, I'm in a Cage, is a great toe-tapper with a classic Beard feel. I Am the Man has an Egyptian mood in both understated and rocking ways. Next comes possibly the best part of the album, a reprise of "The Man's Gone" that whips into an astonishing acoustic frenzy similar at times to "Sleeping Jesus" from Testimony but better. "The Separated Man" ends with the return of an Egyptian motif and the haunting and poignant Something Within Me Remembers.

"Cradle to the Grave" is an extremely touching and beautiful ballad with shared vocals between Neal and Phil Keaggy. "Help Me" has a Latin feel like "The Promise" from Testimony and "Senor Valasco" from The Light. More nice acoustic guitar work is on display here. It transitions into "The Spirit and the Flesh," bringing back themes from "The Creation." "Father of Forgiveness" sounds like a refugee from disc two of Testimony, but it is still a very beautiful and meaningful ballad in its own right. One ends on a positive note with "Reunion" which goes from driving rock with brass to a reflective repeating vocal section.

Neal's knacks for writing compelling, catchy melodies and singing with real emotion are as apparent here as they've always been.

Growing up a Prog Rock fan, I listened to many bands that still define Progressive Rock music to me (Genesis, Yes, Kansas, etc.) Although all of these bands produced incredible studio albums, the live versions of their studio songs always seemed to be much better. Why? Because, usually the musicians in the bands flexed their music muscles and really strutted their stuff (so to speak) during these live concerts. Here, on a very complex album simply titled ONE, Neal and Mike hold nothing (and I mean nothing) back. In other words, "they let it all hang out"! There are hints of the great Prog Rock bands of the past, which have obviously influenced both Mike and Neal ... as well as the bands from Neal's past (Spock's Beard & Transatlantic). The music here is simply put, FRESH AND ALIVE; there is nothing forced. I love the Tony Bank(-ish) style keys on the track 'Author of Confusion', and the musical arrangements in the songs 'Creation' & 'Reunion' are brilliant! I was very worried when Neal left Spock's Beard & Transatlantic, but its great to see his new found faith has also taken him to the next level musically ... with help from Randy George and Mike Portnoy off course.

Song rundown:

1. Creation - Wow, what can you say about this 18 minute epic? How about throwing hints of KANSAS, YES, & GENESIS in a blinder with everything Neal has done in the past (Spock's Beard/Transatlantic) and then cranks it up a couple of notches. Would have worked well on a 3rd Transatlantic album.

2. The Man's Gone - Cool sounding mellow number; reminds me of a band out of Texas called Atomic Opera.

3. Author of Confusion - Image if you will, Trevor Rabin joining YES in the mid-70's (with Rick Wakeman in the band) instead of the early 80's! This song also has hints of old-old GENESIS tunes back in the Steve Hackett era. Oh yah, and a dash of Liquid Tension Experiment too!

4. The Separated Man - Old Spock's Beard, with a splash of Kerry Livgren solo sound added for good measure. Neal shows off his underrated guitar work here. Fantastic job! Nice work by Phil Keaggy as well.

5. Cradle to the Grave - nice mellow number with some delightful sounding vocals (Neal and Phil).

6. Help Me/The Spirit and the Flesh - This song sounds like it could have went on the Testimony album. It has a Latin music feel to it.

7. Father of Forgivness - A very soothing song ... violins create a relaxing pool of pleasure at the end of this track.

8. Reunion - Starts off with a real joyful groove (horns and so forth) very Michael W. Smith-ish, but really kicks into high gear around the 3 1/2 minute mark. For those of you listening for a drumming exhibition, pay attention to Mike Portnoy at 3 minutes 49 seconds (okay Mike's drums are awesome throughout this and any album, but here he puts on a mini drum clinic). A violin surge follows, which rivals some of David Ragsdale's solos with KANSAS IN THE 90's. The finale of this song and album just makes the Prog Rock fan thirsty for more. But all your left doing is hitting the repeat button on your cd player.

If you're a Progressive Rock fan, you really should not hesitate, just order and enjoy this true gem. Excellent job Neal, Mike, and George!!!

A brief background on my listening habits: I grew up listening to nothing but Christian rock. However, when I went away to college (as a music major) and discovered prog rock, my listening habits abruptly changed.

In the years since then, I have become a Dream Theater fanatic, and was, in fact, even inspired by Mike Portnoy to begin dabbling in drum-set. Listening to Dream Theater opened my ears to a number of other great bands, including Spock's Beard. Needless to say, I was thrilled when Neal Morse got together with Portnoy for the Transatlantic albums.

Enter Neal Morse's "One." I had not yet gotten into any of Neal's solo material, but when a friend told me that "One" stood up to the Transatlantic projects, I decided to check it out. Musically, it brings it all together, reminiscent of Spock's Beard, Kansas, Transatlantic, King Crimson, and just about anyone else you can think of. Portnoy's drumming is, as always, completely inspiring and endlessly inventive, and I was even pleasantly surprised to hear Phil Keaggy both playing and singing on the album. But frankly, it took me a few days to actually appreciate the album's musical qualities, as spent the first week completely thunderstruck by the lyrics...

This brings me full circle... here I am, at the age of 32, blasting Christian music from my car for the first time since I was 17. The music is beyond comparison, and lyrically, it's the most inspring thing I've heard since Petra's "Grave Robber" back in the early 80's.

Thank you, Neal!

I have never had an album have the effect that this album has had on me. I actually emailed Neal to thank him personally for writing this album and listening to God's call in his life, The Man is BLESSED. I have read probably every review here, and I would say the only negative ones are those who are self absorbed humanists who can't bare the thought of someone not believing we came from monkeys. If you don't like God, that is a personal problem, don't trash Neal because he see's something that you Wont!!! and I stress WONT!!!!. Musically you can not deny how awesome this album is. Being a Christian, Neal has touched every emotion in me. I am a biker with a rough and tough look and former background which God changed when I accepted Jesus. I have to say hearing "From the cradle to the grave" crippled me with tears, as does the rest of the album as I sit back and listen to Neal paint the picture of the lengths that a loving God will go to just to reconcile us to himself. For those who are offended, I am sorry you feel that way, because Neal really has captured the love that God has for you, and I didn't find this album to be the least bit condemning. I highly recommend this album, especially if you are a Christian who enjoys harder edged rock and prog. I do not feel this album should be judged on the lyrics alone, the music is absolutely superb, especially with the likes of Mike Portnoy on drums, and Randy George on bass, and a guest appearance by Phil Keaggy. This album can't be beat

If you like Spock's Beard or super-group Transatlantic, you will absolutely adore this cd. I say this because throughout this cd you will often find yourself as if you were listening to Transatlantic or to the SB's classic The Light. I can't understand why people criticize this cd simply because of its christian lyrics. Just pay attention to the music that so limited amount of people can create: a masterpiece. You can really tell that Neal was not alone while writing One. This time, he was open with drummer Mike Portnoy (especially in Author of Confusion) and bassist Randy George. This CD is heavier than Testimony, although it still contains the great touches of violin and others. If you are open-minded to different types of rythmes in the same song, just buy this album. You will not regret it.

I can think of maybe 5 CDs in the course of my life that have brought me to a whole new level of musicality. That is to say that, from a techincal and structural perspective, upon first and repeated listens, they have impacted my musical mind in such a significant manor that they've shattered any previous limitations - real or imagined - I might have had about the realms of musicianship.

First it was in 1988 when I first heard Joe Satriani's "Surfing With The Alien", then in 1994 with Jeff Buckley's "Grace", in 1996 with Tool's "Aenima", again in 2001 with Tool's "Lateralus", and after a 4 year drought, yesterday, with Neal Morse's "One".

Amazingly, "One" hits yet on another level with me in that it manages to touch my soul in ways that none of the others have, making it possilby the most mind and soul-blowing musical experience I've had to date.