THE LIGHT

There is a lot of energy here - almost too much. Throughout the tracks there are a lot of musical ideas making up each track and coherency is at risk although the musical ideas in themselves are strong. The music making up the album is playful rather than serious and I think that to enjoy this album one has to approach it from that direction. If you are looking for a musical playground then this album is possibly a good one. If you are looking for a serious approach to music then this album may grate the ears. Neal Morse is not my favorite vocalist although he is not terrible. At first his nasal style is a little grating but after a while listening to him I can accept him as a lead vocalist. The musicianship throughout is strong. For me this is a kind of 10 CC does Yes offering - makes little sense but it does work to an extent. The music borders on the corny, coherency and idea wise. Many ideas are toyed with throughout but none of those ideas are given room to breathe on their own.

This isn't an album that I would rush to put in my urgent to listen to again pile and if I listen to it again it will be in a couple of months time. It is playful and therefore a pleasant trip around the monkey bars now and then but it is nothing that I feel bound to seriously get into. Three and a half stars from me, pulled down to three for its inability to draw me in.