SPOCK'S BEARD

Spock´s Beard self titled album was the first post Neal Morse work by those guys that I bought. Like so many others I doubt if the band could handle things without their former charismatic leader. As far as I knew (and I think a lot of people), Neal Morse WAS Spock´s Beard. Everyone I know thought him as the actual lifeforce behind the band´s name, the others, as talented as they were, were not much more than HIS backing band. Well, I had to change that opinion after a few spins.

There are good and not so good news: first, I was amazed that there was no substite for Morse´s place, with the other former group´s members filling his functions (Ryo Okumto now playing all keyboards and alan Morse handling every guitar duties). And they did it very well, by the way. But the biggest surprise was hearing that drummer Nick D'Virgillio assumming lead vocals. Upon hearing the album I was even more amazed by the fact that the guy does have a fine voice and dilivers his interpretation like a seasoned crooner. The band was indeed better than I thought.

What about the songs? Well, those are the not so good news. Although they surely can write great tunes (like the opner, Perfect Day, a typical fina Spock´s Beard classic), the album itself suffers from a general lack of direction. Or, to be more precise, some focus and personality. Every song is good, but they don´t have a unity, sounding too much like a different band on each track. By the end of the CD you don´t really know what this CD is really about. Like we say in Brazil, they were shooting in all directions. The resultas are mixed: sometimes they hit the target, sometimes they don´t. Fortunatly, the good moments are really memorable and form the majority of the CD.

conclusion: a good album, no doubt about it, sometimes very good. But it is more promising than fulfilling. They overcame most of the problems they faced when Morse left the group, but they still have to find their own personality without him. If you like this Spock´s Beard already you should give a try on this. If you´re new To the band I recommend you hCar the CD before buying it. 3,5 stars.