NEAL MORSE

This is a great album. I would love to give it 5 stars, but it comes up just short. The Neal Morse Band delivers with a very creative album that is probably like no other album you have heard....ever. It's got a little bit everything and that everything is quite good to my ears.

Track 1: The Call. Outstanding! Take the best of Queen and the best of Styx and you have the sound of this song. It's really that good (yet, not even the best song on the album in my opinion). If you are thinking that Queen and Styx aren't prog enough for you, have no fear. That's what is so great about this song. It's plenty prog, with plenty of high-quality hooks that hit all my 70s and 80s pop itches.

Track 2: The Grand Experiment. Initially I hated it. But ten listens in, this is a really nice song. Anyone who says they hate this song, I immediately dismiss it because I know they haven't heard it enough times. While I would love to think differently, prog is tough. It's so acquired that even those of us who love it (prog music) through and through can't digest it on the first few listens. This is one of those songs. It's polarizing because it's very poppy. "Oh...this sounds like pop...trash." While I agree it is very poppy, I also think it is very proggy. If this is a filler song on an album, it must be one heck of an album.

Track 3: Waterfall. GREAT SONG! We have seen in the past how Morse has been quite adept at bringing multiple voices together and this song is basically "June" (Kindness of Strangers) on steroids. One of the exceptional parts of this album is the vocal harmonies with the inclusion of Eric Gillette and Bill Hubauer and this particular song really showcases what this band can do in that department. This is a ballad quite unique from anything else in the Morse catalog and I find that it works really well.

Track 4: Agenda. This is one of those "love it or hate it" songs and I happen to love it. Great tune that jumps from hard edge verses to a floating chorus. Regardless of how you feel about it, I dare you to listen to it a couple of times and not find it haunting you throughout the course of your day. It is very catchy.

Track 5: Alive Again. Plain and simple, this is a 5-star song from start to finish. Eric Gillette steals the show with some delicious vocals every time he comes in with the dramatic phrase "Now I feel like I'm alive again..." This song is so good that you can listen to the whole thing and feel as if only 5 or 6 minutes have passed, when the total clock time is actually over 26 minutes. There is an exceptional moment from the 7:30 - 9:00 mark which truly is some of the best 90 seconds of music ever....literally spine-tingling. I could use all sorts of superlatives to describe various aspects of this track, instead I'll just say that it is a very satisfying ending to a solid set of songs. It's easily in my Top 5 epics alongside of Seeds of Gold, The Creation, At the End of the Day and The Door.

I like all 5 songs and "Alive Again" is outstanding. However, four stars is all that I'm willing to give it because there is definitely a lull that occurs in the middle of the album between the bookend tracks. It's not really fair because if those middle songs were on other albums they might be considered the standouts, but Alive Again and The Call are so good, the three other songs pale in comparison and make the album feel a little less consistent than it really is.

If you like classic Spock's Beard, Styx, Queen, ELO...you will love this album.

(in case it matters, I'm reviewing the special edition)

I only gave this two spins so far, but I'm already regretting my purchase and the ticket I bought for their upcoming tour. Well, at least it will be an opportunity to discover Beardfish.

The first track and the last track (namely, "The Call" and "Alive Again") of this record are the only ones they should have kept; the rest are fillers whose quality lies somewhere between mediocre and forgettable (which reminds me of Spock's Beard's V, a record that would have been so much better if it consisted only of the three good -- great! -- songs it contains). I remember being very disappointed when Neal released the video for the title track, and only bought this album because of the very positive reviews that have been written recently. I should have trusted my initial gut feeling.

I won't waste too many words on the bad fillers; the chorus of the title track eventually stuck in my head , but only because it's easy to remember. This song is bad, but it's actually the best of the bad songs. Another reviewer already expressed his views on "Agenda", and yeah, it's pretty bad. I thought "Waterfall" was alright during the first listen, but I couldn't bear to listen to the whole song a second time (even though it's not that long by Morse's standards). Suffice it to say that the fact that they're not "prog songs" (whatever your definition is) has nothing to do with their quality. And if any other (prog or not) band had released those, nobody would even have paid attention.

"The Call" is, to me, the more interesting of the two good tracks, and features everyone singing. "Alive Again" is an epic and as usual, it will probably take a few listens for me to absorb it completely. I'm pretty sure, however, that it's certainly not in the same league as "All of the Above" or "Into the Blue" to name only two much better examples of what Neal is capable of (there may be many more, I must confess I'm not too familiar yet with Neal's solo work, which is why I'm refering to Transatlantic instead). Both these songs have nevertheless some great moments, so I'll focus on those if I ever play this CD again. That said, I probably have given -- and probably will give -- "Lifeline" more listens than this even though I usually only play the first and last track of that record too.

Somewhat ironically, the second disc in this special edition is nearly more interesting than the regular record (except for "MacArthur Park"; I don't know the original song, but after hearing twice about that "cake that took so long to bake", I just had to skip to the next song...).

I haven't watched the making of yet, and I'm not sure that I will. Bottom line: give "The Call" and "Alive Again" a try, but unless you fall in love with these, I suggest you spend your money on something else.

The last prog rock album by Neal Morse was Momentum in 2012. After 3 years, Neal Morse came back on the prog side with The Grand Experiment. And it's surely one of his best effors. The album begins with The Call (or Following The Call) which is a ten minutes song. It's very proggy, with many solos (the synth one at 8 minutes is awesome), great melodes, time signatures changes, etc... A great track. After that, there's the title track which is not very prog, more hard rock but pleasant. Waterfall is a beautiful track with vocal harmonies, acoustic guitars,... The melody is great and the production is awesome. Agenda is the worst song on the album. It sounds like an awful rock FM songs of the 90's. But I think it's pretty humoristic or a parody. Alive Again is the closing epic of 27 minutes. It's great, prog as hell, with awesome developpement. So, this album is great, better than Momentum for me. The best of 2015 at the moment.

As this is my debut review (please forgive the rhyme), I'll keep it brief.

BAD NEWS: There are two stinkers on this much anticipated (by me anyway) record. The title track is a bit weak (okay - truth is it's pretty bad) but the other song, "Agenda" goes way beyond bad - it's PUTRID! I'm mortified, and Neal ought to be embarrassed by this substandard composition.

HOWEVER (and here's the GOOD NEWS)...

"Waterfall" is utterly GORGEOUS - the vocal harmonies are truly sublime. As for the obligatory epic, "Alive Again" (which could just as easily have been called "Born Again") is (BEWARE: I'm gonna flagrantly violate my self-imposed "banned words" edict)... AWESOME! (I probably should have added more exclamation points).

There are other jewels to be found here, including live stuff AND... TNMB's interpretation of Jimmy Webb's classic "MacArthur Park". They did to it what YES did to Paul Simon's "America"... TIMES TEN! Outstanding job, fellas.

Please excuse my shameless display of hyperbole but... but NOTHING. Notwithstanding the two bombs I so harshly denounced, I wholeheartedly recommend "THE GRAND EXPERIMENT" and hereby award it FOUR STARS.

I think is time for Neal Morse to take a little break from writing music. An album (sometimes 2 or 3) a year, can be exhausting. While not a bad album, definitely not one of his best either. My main concer is that he is using the same formula again, and again, and again, at least in his last two progressive albums (Momentum and The Grand Experiment). Some songs are good, like The Call or Alive Again, but Agenda is perhaps his worst song ever. So all in all, its an average album by Neal Morse standards (hence the 3 star rating, actually more like 2.75 stars), so I hope he takes a step back, and spends more than 3 or 4 months writing and recording his next album.

Even in his proggiest moments (and there's been plenty of those!), Spock's Beard founder Neal Morse has always displayed one of the keenest ears for catchy melodies, clever song-writing skill and sublime harmonies in modern progressive music. This skill was one of the standouts points that instantly made the Spock's band grab the attention of prog listeners, and it gave them an accessible quality that could have easily opened them up to more mainstream listeners, and this has maintained throughout his entire career, and especially into his current solo career too. `Songs From November' sees the artist stepping away from prog rock, instead delivering a set of classy and well played 70's styled straight- forward rock music, but with strong melodies and memorable choruses that seem to be dipped in the honey-pot of pop music and classic rock perfection!

Infectious boppy horns and sax dance through the upbeat opener `Whatever Days', the first track to drop a killer chorus that will instantly become lodged in your head, then `Heaven Smiled' is a classy reflective acoustic guitar and piano ballad. `Flowers In A Vase' is a Crosby Stills and Nash/The Thorns/Gram Parsons inspired gentle country rocker with wilting slide guitar and sweet chorus harmonies. `Love Shot An Arrow' is an absolute standout, a timeless and massive power ballad with the kind of biggest grandest chorus that retro-rocker Matthew Sweet might have delivered at his peak. `Song For The Free' is a chest-beating protest song with a driving momentum, but another standout is the downbeat but beautiful piano ballad `Tell Me Annabelle', a softly melancholic and wistful heart-break wrapped in a powerful tune.

`My Time of Dying' alternates somber confronting verses with a proud and sure joyful chorus, the weeping violin a highlight. `When Things Slow Down' is a pleasing ballad about trying to find the time to appreciate the things in life that mean the most. `Daddy's Daughter' is a deeply personal ballad Neal devotes to his daughter, and although it's a little sickly sentimental and has a few clunky lyrics, `All that's black and white to you brings colour to my world' is a pretty cool line in the chorus! `Wear The Chains' adds a bit more string-driven drama, backing up a scathing protest lyric, and album closer `The Way of Love' is a big Beatles-esque pop ballad (and listen out for some quickly proggier chunky bass trying to sneak it's way out too!).

Listeners should be aware that a couple of the songs still offer some overtly Christian lyrics, but at this point in his career, this should really come as no surprise! But Morse simply offers a collection of timeless tracks with cool arrangements, thoughtful lyrics and winning melodies, and you can hear in his voice how excited and relaxed he is to be leaving aside the bombast and technical overkill of prog rock for a change and simply cutting loose with a bunch of great tunes! If you're a listener who enjoys Morse's overall ability instead of just his prog credentials, you already know the melodic skill and strong song-writing the guy will bring here, and `Songs From November' is highly recommended to those who appreciate that general talent.

Three stars for this prog rock website, but four stars for those who simply appreciate a damn fine rock/pop album.

Let's get this out of the way: There is no Prog Rock on this album. Neal Morse is not only a multi-instrumentalist, but he's also a multi-genre-ist. Also worth noting: This is not a religious or overtly Christian album. So it may be quite a departure from what you are used to with Mr. Morse (Mike Portnoy does not appear either).

So what is this? It's best described as a Singer/Songwriter album in which Neal uses pop, rock, folk, hints of gospel, and hints of country as an ode to Family (not the band... his actual family) and the concept of love. It's a personal collection of songs from a time when Neal took time for some introspection and personal reflection.

It's actually quite good. I have not been a fan of his non-Prog albums. In fact, this is the first one that I really like. And I really like it. His masterful melodies are in full display here and there are plenty of catchy choruses to sing along with. If you're like me and your musical taste goes well beyond prog and into the world of pop or Southern flavored folk/gospel or "classic rock" or anywhere inbetween, there's something to like on this album.

If this were not a site dedicated to Prog, I'd rate this 4 stars. However, I must consider the audience of this particular site with this review and, therefore, I'm giving it 3 stars.

A blessing for christian prog rock

Neal's first prog solo album. I am touched by his testimony and music! It's a very personal concept album about his spiritual journey and finally becoming a follower of Christ. Some people are turned away by the christian lyrics (especially on second CD), others just listen to the music. I as a christian enjoy the lyrics very much.

This dynamic symphonic prog sounds quite similar to his former band SPOCK'S BEARD and TRANSATLANTIC. GENTLE GIANT influence can also be heard. Neal's multitalent is amazing. He skillfully handles composing, vocals, keyboards, guitars and production. He joined forces with Mike Portnoy (ex DREAM THEATER) on drums - a perfect combination! There are a lot of guest musicians including Kerry Livgren (guitarist of KANSAS).

Listening to this 2-CD album I never get tired or bored. Music is full of catchy melodies and hooks and flows perfectly through different moods and tempos. It's also very diverse in style - from prog metal to country! Instrumental solos are brilliant but never overextended. Melody stays in the front. Composition is divided in five parts - five suites of songs and instrumentals connected with leitmotifs and reccuring themes. Intense symphonic prog pieces often segue into "less proggy" songs - an emotional ballad or a more straight rock song with slight prog leanings. That's ok with me as long the music retains high quality.

In my opninion this is one of the greatest masterpieces of modern prog. I prefer emotional and melodic power with enough exciting prog moments over 100% prog style with less power but If you are interested in more strictly prog music try other Neal's high rated albums first.

In parallel with his progressive efforts Morse started releasing also albums linked with Christianity.In 2005 two of them were released, ''God won't give up'' and ''It's not too late'' on Radiant and Latter Rain Records respectively, containing Christian hymns and pop songs.But a third progressive effort was already in the process, known as The Question Mark album.The album deals with the tabernacle in the wilderness and actually Morse presented it as a 56-min. long track, divided in 12 themes.Exactly one year after ''One'', ''?'' was released on InsideOut and Metal Blade, featuring again Portnoy and George as Morse's main bandmates and a huge guest list, among them are his brother Alan Morse, Jordan Rudess, Roine Stolt and Steve Hackett.

Musicwise Morse's decision to dedicate himself to God and follow a more personal career has done him good, his music has become incredibly emotional, keeping the impressive complexity of Symphonic and Progressive Rock.No epic movements here, the tracks are rather short to build Morse's suite about tabernacle in the wilderness, but the flow and sounds on this album are simply amazing.The man hasn't moved an inch from his familiar style, heavily influenced by Classic 70's Prog, and displays some serious musicianship with the symphonic leanings being pretty obvious, but featuring also the well-known Morse-established Pop sensibilities, not to mention the surprising opening track ''The temple of the living God'' with its monumental VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR-like sax scratches of Jim Hoke, an instant favorite of Neal's playlist on live shows, or ''Solid as the sun'', where a similar style is presented.The music at moments has become a bit heavier and it wouldn't be an excess to say that the powerful grooves, heavy organ runs and mascular riffs recall something of DEEP PURPLE and even DREAM THEATER.But these come just before the tracks enter again some elaborate, lush arrangemets, pretty vintage-style despite the modern vibes, reminding of YES, KING CRIMSON and GENTLE GIANT.Strong use of Mellotron, flashy keyboard washes, solid drumming and sensitive melodies are offered through a mass of grandiose passages, sudden twists, shifting moods and cinematic soundscapes.The lyrics are again deeply religious and Morse's dedication has evolved into consistently nice singing lines, including some beautiful choir parts.

Three albums in three years, three fantastic efforts of Progressive Rock in this period.Yet another winner by the American mastermind, who had already become an icon of the genre's more recent years.Highly recommended.

When you think the man is going to slow down to make big concepts albums with huge epic songs, there is a voice from god that tell him to continue. Neal Morse brings his little orchestra to Los Angeles to play the complete Testimony 2 CD plus many more epics. The songs are complex and intense like a big piece of symphonic music that are interrupted by some straight forward acoustic passages with Neal on the guitar.

The visuals of the DVDs are a bit of a disappointment, they added nothing to the performance, while the camera work is professional with some split screen effects. With the 3 hours performance of the show, we have a additional 10 minutes performance with Neal and Spock's Beard in the High Voltage festival. The stereo sound is nice, so you won't be disappointed listening the audio CDs that goes with the DVDs.

If it's impossible to enjoy every minute of this long concert, i really enjoy the first half of the first set, were it seems that every songs was flowing together very well. As usual a concert of Neal Morse is not complete without his "Gentle Giant moment" and a emotional moment when he talks about the miraculous recovery of his daughter from heart failure.

In conclusion, i think its always better to see the band playing their instruments than listening only to the audio portion on CDs. But don't expect to see a visually entertaining video to watch here like his previous live ones. Testimony 2 is a nice piece of music, not as strong as Testimony 1, but strong enough to fit in the discography of this passionate composer and musician who continue to gives us something to satisfy our hunger for symphonic prog rock music. (3.7 stars)