THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS

To say that I've been a Spocks Beard and Neal Morse Superfan for years is an understatement. If I remember right I stumbled on them around 2002 when Neal was leaving the band. I was lead to them via Dream theater and Transatla ntic. I think V was the first I listened to or bought. Obviously within days I had all of their catalogue up until that point. This is the one I seem to come back to more often than any of the other Neal era stuff. Even though my favorite song of that era is "The doorway", and a close second is "Go the way you go", which are on the first two, It's this one, their third release that is the most consistent. Where the first two seem to ebb and flow, this one doesn't have a weak moment on it. The book ends, The Good Don't Last and Flow are great complex epics. TGDL was an instant hit with me, where as Flow had to grow on me a little. I have to admit In the mouth of madness wears thin with me but its still a great quirky tune. The lyrics on Cakewalk on Easy street are quite silly, but another quirky prog tune with lots of neat changes. June and Strange World are definitely more poppy and accessible, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. June is one of Neal's most memorable ballads among all of his contributions over the years. Harm's way is another strong mini-epic that the NMB has even covered recently live, with a very catchy chorus, nice orchestration. and a great bluesy solo from Alan. V and Snow are right behind this one in my tops of the Neal era, but this one is so mature for a band's third effort. It shows how much great material Neal had in him when forming the band. This one doesn't seem to get the love it so richly deserves. Check it out! more like 4 1/2 stars!