IT'S NOT TOO LATE

Neal Morse first solo album was released in 1999 and had a couple of good songs, some mediocre ones, too many bad ones and a long epic that saved the album from oblivion. Mostly the style was in a pop/ rock vein with only a few progressive hints. The same can be said about It´s Not Too Late except that there are even fewer progressive hints on this album compared to the debut. The songs are very mediocre pop/ rock tunes that won´t offend anyone. There are a few moments here and there where Neal´s solo music touches the progressive sound of his then main band Spock´s Beard. A good example would be the synth wave during the chorus in Look but mostly this is simple pop/ rock.

Most songs are very well composed but that is no surprise if you know Neal Morse. The man is extremely talented and he has an ear for memorable song lines. His lyrics are a different matter though. Trivial thoughts and a christian outlook on the world is just a bit too lame if you ask me. There is nothing wrong with being a Christian but singing about your faith the way it´s done here makes me kind of embarressed. The worst example here is obviously The Angels will Remember. To make matters worse there is also a kind of gospel choir in the background of this song which makes this a complete failure in my ears. Just terrible. If you want to hear Christian music Saviour Machine and Amaseffer are good examples of how it can be done so even us atheists think it´s great. Neal Morse is simply too much born again for my taste.

Neal Morse is again responsible for the lead vocals, Piano and guitars while he is again helped out by Spock´s Beard Collegue Nick d´Virgilio on drums. There are other session musicians on the album but no one I recognise.

The production is very good, so no problem there.

The cover artwork is very trivial and typical for a solo album with a picture of part of Neal´s face.

I wasn´t too impressed with Neal Morse debut album and I´ll have to say the same thing about this one. This is too nice pop/ rock without any edge and with only a few progressive moments. I´ll still rate it 2 stars though as Neal Morse sure knows the tools of his trade. Even with his eyes closed and writing with his left hand he is able to make professional sounding music. Too bad it´s not to my taste. I´ll recommend you stick to Neal´s work with Spock´s Beard. I understand that his later solo albums should be much more impressive and challenging so I´ll give them a go later on and hope for a revelation.

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