DEEP WATER

It would be easy to just state we have yet another Neal Morse project on our hands, and in while in some ways that is true it is also very different in others. Neal hung out with Chester Thompson at a Steve Hackett gig in Nashville and felt they should do something together, and a month later they had lunch and a jam which delivered interesting results, so Neal then invited in two of his previous collaborators, guitarist and singer Phil Keaggy, and bassist Byron House, and they got together for some sessions. Much of the album was apparently created from those jams, where Morse's long-time audio partner Jerry Guidroz put the best parts together, such as for the 38-minute epic, "Deep Water Suite". However, this album has Morse all over it, although the main surprise for me was the power of Thompson's drumming as he is all around the kit, hitting very hard indeed. Bear in mind he is in his mid-seventies, it is astounding he is able to punch like this, while Phil Keaggy is not much younger and both House and Morse (the youngest) are in their mid-sixties. Mind you, one would never guess from the music and performance that all these guys could retire and collect their pension.

What comes with age is experience and musical nous, and there is no doubt here we have a quartet who can easily bounce ideas off each other and know how to make a difference with nuances here and there. I have followed Neal's career since I first came across an import of 'The Light' more than 30 years ago, and this feels very much like a follow- on from much of what has come before, just with some different arrangements, with "Time To Fly" having some very Morse-like female backing harmonies. This apparently commenced with an idea from Phil which the others all took on, but one certainly feels Morse has bent this to his will.

The final result is an album which will in many ways feel familiar to fans of Neal's work, and if, like me, you cannot get enough then this is a really interesting release indeed. I cannot say enough about Chester's drumming though, as it is a core element of this record. I find it strange to think I first saw him play on the Genesis 'Duke' tour in 1980, as that was such a very long time ago, and here he is still putting the youngsters to shame.

If you like Morse-style commercial prog, then this is definitely for you.

Social review comments

Review related links

• Send comments to kev rowland
• Report this review (#3206446)
• Buy COSMIC CATHEDRAL music online with PA partners
• Show all COSMIC CATHEDRAL MP3/Stream
• Go to COSMIC CATHEDRAL page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to Deep Water page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for COSMIC CATHEDRAL related discussions