THE NEAL MORSE BAND: THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM

We've heard the hype: this is the one you've been waiting for! Sits right at the top with any of Neal and Mike's best work! The reality? The hype is legit, but not necessarily in the way I initially had hoped, which was finally for a Neal Morse double album that was a non-stop thrill ride overflowing with new material. Unfortunately, that album still doesn't exist. Yes, Neal writes his share of double (or more) albums, but a third to sometimes even half of the album is reprisals and variations of themes. This isn't always a huge problem, but something I think Neal in particular leans on too much if you want to listen to his full albums perhaps hundreds of time (which I do!). I'm afraid all that's happened again.

I also realize that by doing this I'm not getting the full "story", which is important for most concept albums; however, I would also counter that argument by noting that once you've heard "I gotta get out of the city of destruction" in one song, hearing it again, or a third time, doesn't cause the message to sink in any more. I do appreciate the message--and not just the music--in Neal's productions, and they do inspire me to be a better person, and be closer to God, so I don't want to give the impression that I just listen to the music and throw out the message. That said, the music is what draws me in, and it's the music that keeps me coming back.

So then why the high rating? Because Similitude has enough fresh, interesting, nicely produced and collaboratively performed music to make up a regular 5-star album, and so I feel justified in giving this one the full 5 (of which I've only given to one of Neal's dozens of works, Question Mark). In fact, my "album" is the first disc through Ways of a Fool, and then with the Broken Sky/Long Day finale tacked on. That, my friends, is a 50 minute emotional rollercoaster of consistently excellent and diverse prog, and one satisfying finale to wrap it all up. That's not to say that disc 2 doesn't have interesting material--it certainly does--but much of it is interspersed with the second, third, or even fourth reprises. In fact, that leaves me with a number of very good tracks that stand up nicely as singles and/or bonus tracks that I will also come back to plenty of times, so I certainly don't mind that I paid double-album money, even though when I consider the story and the music simultaneously, I think it works better as a regular- length album.

There are a number of reasons why Similitude represents a step up from Neal's recent material (which I find to generally be very good as well). First, I think Neal has a better songwriting edge when he's tackling historical material, and particularly multiple characters, which he hasn't done for a while. Second, while I find Neal's music to be quite well produced, I believe this sounds even better, particularly the acoustic guitars, the synth variety, and Randy's basswork. Third, it's clear that these guys have been getting better as a real band, and the coordination and collaboration shows throughout the album, particularly in the vocals. Finally, although you can certainly hear sections that sounds like Neal's Genesis, Yes and Styx (among many others) influences, and also similarities to his previous work (particularly Snow, Question Mark, and Sola Scriptura), it comes off as more than fresh enough to not sound "samey" to my ears. In fact, perhaps my favorite development is that unlike a lot of Neal's recent writing, in which it seems he is trying to rock as hard as possible, Similitude features more light, intricate, and perky sections, which I particularly appreciated in his Spock's Beard days.

Since I generally like all of Neal's albums, I try to offer some caveats for those who are wary, so as not to just be a fanboy. I don't have many cautions this time though, other than the fact that things can get tedious with the reprises in the second disc. So see that coming if you are on the fence, but I certainly wouldn't let that keep you away if you were wondering if Similitude was simply more Momentum or Grand Experiment. Thank you, Neal Morse Band, for your efforts!