FLYING COLORS

So we have yet another super group and another band that Mike Portnoy is in? Well, yes that is a fact and those of you that enjoy great rock music of all sorts should be rejoicing right now because a classic album is waiting to hit those starved ear drums and to relieve you of all the garbage that is out there on the internet and radio. This relief comes in the form of the new band Flying Colors. The members are Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals), Neal Morse (keyboards, vocals), Steve Morse (guitar), Dave LaRue (bass) and Casey McPherson (lead vocals).

For those of you that are not familiar with the members in this band, everyone has impressive resumes. Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Transatlantic, Avenged Sevenfold), Neal Morse (Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, Solo), Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs, Deep Purple, Solo) and Dave LaRue (Dixie Dregs, Steve Morse Band) have a lot in common and are no strangers when it comes to their music and who they have played with. Casey McPherson seems to be the odd man out, but wait! It sounds like he has been with this group of players for quite some time after you listen to the album and he was indeed the perfect fit for this project.

Now you are probably thinking who is Casey McPherson? I have a feeling once this album catches on, and it will mind you and very quickly, you will be hearing that name more often. One listen to 'Kayla' and the range this guy has will serve as a welcome mat to any listener. His sweet yet powerful vocals set the tone for their music. He had an album out for Disney in 2010 titled New Morning that debuted in the Top 5 on two Billboard Charts. He is also from a band called Alpha Rev, and he was recommended by who else but Mike Portnoy. I think Mike should start his own label and hand pick talent, groom them, produce them, and then distribute their albums worldwide. He certainly has a knack for it. He did a lot of that when he was running the Progressive Nation Tours, and very successfully.

This self-titled release has a little bit of everyone in the music which means that stylistically you will hear just about everything. Now think about that for a moment. All the influences and talents of each band member colliding in the studio to bang out 11 tracks of glorious rock' or should I say they are flying their colors. That sounds exciting and it is, every second of it is charged with energy, outstanding musicianship and finely crafted songs ranging from over 3 to 12 minutes. So what you end up hearing is a steaming cauldron of rock, pop, progressive, funk, etc. over the course of this recording. All eleven tracks are excellent. With a lineup such as this that is what you expect but super groups do not always work out very well. I think what you have here is a bunch of ultra-talented guys having fun and allowing the magic to happen without personality or ego issue getting in the way.

You get that kicked back relaxed atmosphere feeling right from the start with 'Blue Ocean' when it kicks off with some comfortable studio banter that leads you into the track. LaRue begins it with a 'walk across the floor' bass line that sets the stage. After that song runs its course the realization that you are in for something special takes hold and fortunately never lets go. This is a made for radio hit if I ever heard one but we all know that will never happen because corporate radio has blinders on. 'Shoulda Coulda Woulda' is an all out rocker with fat power chords sparking from Morse's guitar then Portnoy and LaRue lay down the juggernaut bottom end that takes it all for a musical rollercoaster ride. What I found a real treat was hearing McPherson sing (he reminded me of Sixx: A.M.'s James Michael) and Neal Morse offering his signature vocals to the mix as well. It turns out to be a very successful partnership and appealing sound that holds firm throughout the run of the CD.

One of the pleasant surprises of the album is Portnoy taking over the lead vocals on 'Fool In My Heart.' This is a very good track and although Portnoy is no McPherson and never will be, he does a fine job with the song. It actually seems like a perfect fit. Is this a song about himself or someone he knows possibly? One never knows about these things but in any case it really is an enjoyable track.

Fittingly the band ends with the prog rock monster track 'Infinite Ride' which takes 12:02 minutes. It leaves you feeling that the more you listen to this music the more it feels like the title of the track. I really hope this is not going to be a one off recording. I mean this is one of the best albums for variety and talent I have heard in quite some time. Yes the self-titled Flying Colors is destined to be hailed as a classic right out the gate. Let's hope that this is just the beginning of this exciting new band.

Key Tracks: ALL

This website is so typical at times. So I listened to the album...weeks before the album is added to the site. Now I have to do a review completely from memory (although it should be easy enough).

Ever since Mike Portnoy left Dream Theater, he has been jumping to band and projects like a flea sucking the blood out of a family. His first bit of music drumming on Neal Morse's Testimony 2 was flawless as ever. His other project Adrenaline Mob was a bit of a bland metal band esque project, but I do admit, there was some not too bad songs.

Now this one was a bit different. When hearing of the project, I had known mostly all the guys involved except for Casey McPherson (and the bassist...but no one cares about the bassist, unless it was Geddy Lee or something). So I listened to Alpha Rev, and being a lover of pop music, I really loved his band, and especially his singing voice, so I knew a pop influence would be very much present in this album.

So yea...pop and prog can be a bit of a mixed bag. But to me...the popiness of prog at times is what makes me love it as a genre. And this album proves it.

This band basically has the perfect formula. Casey McPherson is an amazing lead vocalist with a voice that automatically grabs your attention. Mike Portnoy is one of the best drummers on the planet. Steve Morse is one of the greatest guitarists on the planet. Neal Morse is the most underlooked songwriters in the prog community and his keyboard skills are always overlooked and he's a genius in my opinion (good to know there is no Jesus babble on this album). And the bassist, bla bla bla.

The songs speak for themselves. The songwriting is just incredibly strong with no flaws. Nothing feels forced and every song is different, with the album showing many different styles. I enjoyed this album so much, and it definitly is one of the best albums released this year.

1. Blue Ocean ? A great opener to the album. Quite a powerful track with some great vocal moments. 9/10

2. Shoulda Coulda Woulda ? This song surprised me, especially at how much of a "rocking" song this is. Such a great chorus. Bit cheesy, but totally worth it. 10/10

3. Kayla ? One of the best songs on the album. One of the catchiest songs on the album and one of the tracks of the year in my opinon. 10/10

4. The Storm ? A bit of a chessy ballad, but it's still pretty cool. A nice chorus...still very cheesy though. 9/10

5. Forever In A Daze ? One of the best songs on the album in my opinon. Such a killer song and such a rocking moment of the album. Very kick ass song in my opinion. 10/10

6. Love Is What I'm Waiting For ? This is a very Beatle-esque song, and to me it's a bit annoying. It's alright I guess, but a bit too cheery for me. 8/10

7. Everything Changes ? A nice longer and more interesting moment on the album. Pretty intricate song at parts. 9/10

8. Better Than Walking Away ? One of the best ballads on the album in my opinion. Such a great chorus and some amazing vocals from Casey. 10/10

9. All Falls Down ? Now this song surprised me. A prog metal song on the album with some dramatic Queen moments. And hearing fast double bass pedals was rather interesting. 10/10

10. Fool In My Heart ? Sometimes when Mike Portnoy does some lead vocals, it grinds my gears a little. But this surprisingly was rather nice. 10/10

11. Infinite Fire ? A great epic ender to the album. Sadly I would've liked a little bit more of a poppy edge to it, but it's interesting to hear Casey tackle a prog epic. 9/10

CONCLUSION: I really wasn't interested in this album at all. Then I listened to it. And now I will eat my hat. Nom nom nom. (p.s. I hope these guys make another album)

9.2/10

When this first came out, there was a bit of a [&*!#]storm about it. A lot of people were annoyed that it wasn't as 'prog' as they wanted it to be, but rather more of an Alt-Rock album with prog moments, normally coming from Neal Morse.

Throughout most of the forum discussions, I was sort of left sitting, because I completely loved it. The melodies are fantastic, the range of vocalists is epic and the proginess is still there, but it just isn't the most important factor.

From the bass rumble that opens the album in the amazing "Blue Ocean" to the 12 minute Neal Morse epic "Infinite Fire", the album never really has a dark moment.

The opener, "Blue Ocean" is one of the best songs on there. The bass is very good, in a sort of catchy way, and the vocals are stunning. Casey MacPherson really can sing. The chorus is one of the best on the album and it's one of those ones you can't go without singing at the top of your voice.

"Shoulda Coulda Woulda" and "All Falls Down" are two of the 'heavier' songs on the album, but not heavy in a Dream Theater way, in a better way. They choruses are hectic, but still melodic, and one of the places where Portnoy gets to prove he's Portnoy

"Kayla", "The Storm" and "Forever In A Daze" are the 3 best on the album in my opinion. Not because they are proggy, but because they all have fantastic melodies, and in the world of alt- rock, that's all that really matters.

"Love Is What I'm Waiting For" is one of the weaker moments, going a bit too pop, but not justifying it with a good melody. Still good once you listen though.

"Everything Changes" is a song that I listen to simply to hear that amazing moment when it goes from a regular song into a Neal Morse song, it will leave any Morse fan with an enormous grin.

"Better Than Walking Away" is another weaker song, a bit slow and moany.

"Fool In My Hard" is a nice song with a good Neal Morse vocal in the chorus, nothing too special.

"Infinite Fire" is the one that everyone seems to love. I often get confused by this, because it's nowhere near some of the earlier songs, as if the simple fact that it's 12 minutes makes it better. In any case, it's still a good song, although it sounds more Neal Morse than a collaboration. Casey does some other good vocals here too.

Overall 9/10

Get it if you like melody, no matter what style, if you're a fan of any kind of alt-rock music, and if you want to hear another 12 minute Neal Morse epic.

Don't get it if you're a music elitist who can only appreciate complex music and thinks that Alt- Rock is terrible because there aren't any weird time signatures (aka everyone on the forum who was complaining).

As a loyal Dream Theater fan, I was immediately excited when Mike Portnoy first hinted at the idea of this project around 2009 if I recall correctly. This was before there was any sign of Portnoy leaving Dream Theater, so for the most part this idea was put on the back burner for a while. When that sudden dramatic turn of events did occur in September of 2010, the sprinklings of news about this mysterious project involving Neal Morse, Dave LaRue, and Steve Morse became more and more frequent. It wasn't really until late 2011 that it was announced as a "serious" project under the moniker Flying Colors. At this point, I was incredibly excited for the project, expecting a fantastic medley of symphonic prog and jazz fusion from the "Transatlantic camp" and "Dixie Dregs camp" as Portnoy called it.

However, when the promo video came out which, as far as I know, announced Casey McPherson as a new aspect of the project, I was now more intrigued than excited. With a pop singer at the band's helm, I now expected an incredibly strong crossover prog album to emerge from the studio. The first samples seemed promising, with, as I expected, a strong fusion of progressive elements and very accessible melody lines. I patiently awaited the album's release, and when it did, I got quite a shock when first listening.

Some tried to call this album crossover prog when it first came out just as I had expected it to be. If that descriptor stayed, it would have been the most extreme and watered-down case of crossover I've seen since Bjork. In more accurate terms, this album is progressive pop. The prog elements brought by the four instrumentalists are obvious, but the accessible elements brought by Casey and no doubt Mike as well are quite apparent. The melodies are pop-rock material; the vocals are emotive in a pop way; and many of the instrumental parts, while having a prog aspect, are dominated by pop rock chord structures and "traditional" arrangements.

Of course, all these pop references make this album incredibly catchy and well-presentable to the more standard rock fans. However, to a prog listener, I can't say I was terribly keen on many of the tracks on the album like "Shoulda Coulda Woulda" (an interesting track title to begin with), "Kayla," "The Storm," "Love is What I'm Waiting For," and others. While the closer "Infinite Fire" seems to be what I was expecting for the rest of the album with killer classic Spock's Beard-esque bass lines, precision drumming, and nice vocal harmonies and chord structures across the 12-minute epic, the preceding 48-minutes isn't at bright.

Don't get me wrong - this album isn't "bad" per se. If you're looking for a very high quality pop rock album that has more going for it than your standard pop rock album, look no further. The songs are, in their own respect, well put together, incredibly catchy, and "nice sounding." Granted a pretty thick layer cheese coats practically every riff on the album and most of the melodies are incredibly sugary, but if that kind of stuff suits you this album pulls it off quite well.

In the end, this album is good for those looking for some proggy pop rock, but bad for those expecting the tasty proggy fusion that probably should have come out of a collaboration with the four instrumentalists in all their glory. While the album has its bright spots, the album was overall a huge disappointment. The keyboards are distant and quiet in the mix, Steve Morse's blues-tinged riffs are terribly watered down for the most of the songs, and the potential for Dave LaRue's epic basslines and Mike Portnoy's killer drum lines seem to have been cut short except for in a few songs like "Forever in a Daze" and "Infinite Fire." Overall, though, the music is high quality in its progressive pop bearings, but not much else. It'll be interesting to see if the band makes another album and if they do how the music will progress, if it does. Be warned if you are expecting a full out prog album. 2+ stars.

With a star-studded lineup of progressive rock veterans and a talented young frontman, the debut effort from American supergroup Flying Colors quickly became one of my most anticipated releases of 2012. The premise behind this project was rather interesting - putting a pop singer alongside virtuoso instrumentalists is bound to produce interesting results, and Flying Colors is certainly a unique album, especially considering what may be expected from the musicians involved. The presence of members and ex-members of Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, Dream Theater, Deep Purple, and Dixie Dregs would lead me to expect something in the jazzy progressive metal spectrum, but the album instead sounds like a meeting ground between alternative rock, hard rock, and modern progressive rock. Although a few aspects of the album may have fallen a bit short of my expectations, Flying Colors still stands as a very fun and impressive listen.

For those unfamiliar with Flying Colors, this project was conceived by producer Bill Evans in 2008 with the intention to create 'new-fashioned music the old fashioned way'. This idea eventually evolved into Flying Colors - a band consisting of Mike Portnoy on drums, Dave LaRue on bass, Neal Morse on keyboards and vocals, Casey McPherson on lead vocals, and Steve Morse on guitar. If you're anything like me, your 'prog senses' should've immediately started to tingle as you read that lineup - and rightfully so. This is a supergroup of truly monumental proportions, but as it turns out, this fact is a bit of a two-fold. On one hand, you'll most certainly be treated to top-notch and highly professional musicianship, but on the other hand, many listeners may have unreasonably high expectations. I think I went into Flying Colors expecting a masterpiece on par with the best material from Spock's Beard or Dream Theater, and while this isn't the case, I don't think that was the intention of the musicians either.

Flying Colors is deliberately different from any of its members' main projects - the listener here will be treated to an interesting mix between alternative rock-influenced melodies, heavy riffs, and progressive rock flourishes. Although Flying Colors would not sound out of place in the collection of a fan of classic progressive rock, it's a much more 'modern' sounding effort than anything you may have expected from the musicians involved. This is a very melodic, song-oriented album that brings groups like Muse to mind, but the bluesy guitar flourishes and proggy outbursts do set Flying Colors apart from anything else I can think of. While the album may not be flawless, I do think that the musicians attempted something unexpected with this project, and they did so with a pretty good hit-miss ratio.

Where Flying Colors feels a bit too much like a 'side-project', however, is in the songwriting department. Although the entire album is certainly well-written from an objective point of view, Flying Colors rarely aims for the level of excellence that one may expect from this observation. Apart from the energetic opener "Blue Ocean", which features some spectacular vocal melodies, and the brilliant closing epic "Infinite Fire", most of the album feels rather safe and homogenous to these ears. That's not to say that this is a poor record by any stretch - actually, the vast majority of the album is quite good (though I could've easily done without the banal pop melodies in "Fool In My Heart"). Flying Colors simply lacks the brilliance that one would expect from such a project, and while there may not be much to complain about apart from the rather predictable melodies, I can't say I was blown away by the debut effort from Flying Colors.

Flying Colors simply feels like a lot of missed potential to me - if the band expanded a bit more upon their strengths (like the jazzy guitar sections, hard rocking riffs, and progressive song structures) and left behind some of the decidedly homogenous pop melodies, this debut could've felt a lot more worthwhile in my eyes. That said, a lot of this is a matter of personal preference, and I know quite a few folks who enjoyed this one more than I did. Flying Colors is an interesting experiment with some untapped potential, but with a bit more refinement, I could see this collective producing some excellent music in the future. Let's hope that we get to hear more from this quintet in the coming years!

Nothing you'd expect from a prog supergroup, yet still incredibly satisfying.

I was stoked when I first heard about the new prog project called Flying Colors. How could I not be? Some of the biggest names in the progosphere were collaborating in a never- before seen lineup, and the implications were mind-blowing.

We'd already seen what songwriting genius Neal Morse and top drummer Mike Portnoy had created together in Transatlantic and in Neal's solo efforts. When you add veteran guitar legend Steve Morse and his Dixie Dregs compatriot Dave LaRue, you know they're brewing something special.

The album met most of my expectations, and circumvented the rest of them by going in a completely different and delightful direction.

First, Casey McPherson, the young and relatively unknown vocalist, brings a fresh sound to a genre that, frankly, isn't known for showcasing vocal talent. His voice is a nice departure from Neal's somewhat stale delivery.

As for the music, it's hard to categorize. It's clearly an amalgam of guitar-based Dixie Dregs style fusion and driving melodic hard rock, Neal Morse style. As the songs progress, it's abundantly clear who wrote what.

The album's highlight, Kayla, is an outstanding example of dynamic vocal, guitar and drum interplay, ranging from soft introspection to anthemic climax.

If one track could be considered "epic," it's Infinite Fire, which thoroughly uses up every last moment of its twelve minutes to showcase each player's amazing talents. The overall composition has Neal Morse written all over it, but it also accommodates the band's considerable individual talents. Particularly blazing here is Dave LaRue on the bass.

On a final note, it's clear that the production of Flying Colors was rush job. The label's website states that "Parts were selected based on feel, and left raw instead of using the standard practice of extensive digital editing to produce 'perfect' music." As a result, some of the tracks sound rather muddled and tinny.

While Flying Colors can't be classified as progressive rock in its purest form, it's brilliant enough to earn a place among the year's best progressive-related efforts. Here's hoping this first Flying Colors effort isn't the last.

Definitly, it took me some time to fully enjoy this album. The first impression this "supergroup" gave me was not a good one. After all, with such lumionaries from prog, prog metal and even jazz, the music here sounds a little too pop and modern to any proghead, at least at first. Still I insisted and kept listening, and started liking it more and more. Ok, it is still very different from any work I can remember seeing ex Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy involved in (and also from Steve Morse for that matter). Pop singer Casey McPherson gives the modern edge the band needed to make something that really stands. However, the instrumental parts are absolutely brilliant. Well, what else to expect from a band reuniting Portnoy, Morse and Neal Morse (ex Spock´s Beard) plus ex Dixie Dregs bassist Dave LaRue? I know several of such projects do not work all that well, but this one is an exception.

Granted: the music here is different, more accessible and even funkier than what we might expect, but no less complex and rich. The wide range of influences will puzzle even the most eclectic listener, going from Queen to Red Hot Chilli Peppers, plus several others. And what comes from this CD is a surprising varied, yet coherent and beautiful, collection of great songs. It´s hard to believe those guys have been playing for such little time before recording this album. Everything works here: the performances are superb, the production is crystal clear, the songwriting is very strong and versatile. While some tracks are better than others, none is bad or weak (due the varying styles present your choice of the best material is a matter of personal taste, really). Although the songs are way too varied to chose a real highlight, I must point out the last track, Infinite Fire. This 12 minute epic is surely the most progressive tune on the whole CD and surely will please even the most demanding prog fan: terrific guitar parts, soaring keyboards (including fine Fender Rhodes and Hammond organ solos) and a very eclectic rhythm section that reeks of the best fusion since the 70´s. I really hope next time they reunite they´ll focus their songwriting skills on more songs like this one.

I really loved this album although it will annoy some radicals for its pop prog tendencies and modern production. However, if you like progressive music in the true sense of the word, this is a great album to listen to. Rating: 4 strong stars.

Decent pop prog

After quitting Dream Theater and subsequently being refused to get back in the legendary progressive metal band, Mike Portnoy had to flex his music muscles in order to keep his career going, as there was no stable income for him as a musician anymore. So the side projects he wanted so eagerly to focus on instead of Dream Theater (one of the biggest reasons why he quit in the first place) became his sole form of creative output and, ironically, became his main projects.

With the help of his best prog friend forever, Neal Morse, Mike manage to put together a respectable group for this release which, in my opinion, sounds somewhat closer to what Liquid Tension Experiment would sound if Mike's initial plans for the band would have unfolded as he wished: impressive line-up but ultimately not-so- impressive compositions. In the case of Flying Colors, however, even though the songs aren't exceptional, groundbreaking or breathtaking as other reviewers have put here so eloquently, the songs are very well written and quite enjoyable as a whole. Actually, there was no plan at all to make anything groundbreaking; the sole objective was to write songs and see how it would come out, and, that considered, things turned out pretty good in my opinion.

As for the compositions themselves, they are quite varied throughout the album. Songs range from straight progressive pieces, such as the mini epic Blue Ocean and the epic Infinite Fire, (prog influenced) hard rock in songs like Shoulda Coulda Woulda, Forever in a Daze and All Falls Down, pop prog in Kayla, The Storm, Love Is What I'm Waiting For and Fool in My Heart and prog ballads in Everything Changes and Better than Walking Away.

There are inputs from every band member in every song, much like the other musical project of Portnoy's, such as Dream Theater, Transatlantic and Liquid Tension Experiment. However in some cases you can notice that some certain song had a lead writer, meaning that, even though everybody had their input, everybody added to the melting pot, somebody had the main ideas behind the song. This can be specially seen in the ballads (they have a distinct Neal Morse feeling to them), the Beatles-influenced songs (Portnoy has always mentioned the Beatles as being his most important musical influence; that coupled with the fact that he released a Beatles cover album in 2011 makes it all the more obvious) and the harder edged songs Shoulda Coulda Woulda and All Falls Down, where you can see that Steve Morse and Mike Portnoy are having their moment in the spotlight.

Still on the compositions, it is possible to see here that Mike seems to finally being able to put his stuff together as, so far, Flying Colors' self titled album is the best thing he managed to release himself after leaving Dream Theater. A planned future Transatlantic album may get the best of Flying Colors, but so far this is the most coherent and tight opus he released after 2010.

Rating and Final Thoughts

All in all, Flying Colors seems to be a very enjoyable piece of (mostly) pop prog rock, in spite of, in the big picture, providing us with a varied supply of musical styles throughout the record. Tight musicianship, interesting compositions, easily recognizable and satisfying songs, but also deeper than the usual pop variant of progressive rock, this album provides the listener with a journey through the various facets of less serious and more accessible progressive rock songwriting.

A word of advice, do not approach this album if you are expecting anything in the vein of any of the traditional or more famous bands from any of the Colours' members.

I must admit, when I first heard this album I was extremely disappointed. A group consisting of Dixie Dregs' guiarist Steve Morse (along with his long-time bassist Dave LaRue), former Spock's Beard front man Neal (no relation) Morse, and Mike Portnoy should be a prog fan's dream. But creating deep progressive music wasn't the aim of this band.

Luckily, I waited months before submitting a review. Shelving the album after a few weeks in my rotation, I returned to the disk, and have come away with a somewhat better opinion of the songs.

There are three tracks that seem to reference the three primary members, and their history. Blue Ocean, despite an unmemorable vocal track, seems to represent the Dixie Dregs. LaRue provides a smooth Dreg-like bassline, while Morse plays some tasteful licks. All Falls Down, a prog metal piece, feels like a nod toward Portnoy's famous history. And Infinite Fire plays like a Spock's Beard epic. If these three tracks indicated the direction of the entire album, this could have been one of the albums of the year.

But alas, the remaining eight tracks are good rock songs, with occasional slight hints of the musicians' pedigree. They are fine listenable rock tunes, but my feeling is that the band is striving too hard to be radio friendly. Unfortunately for them, there is not enough plastic in their sound for modern corporate radio to give them any notice.

8/10

I think deep down in his heart, Neal Morse always wanted to do an entire album for the pop- rock/prog-related. With his new supergroup, Flying Colors, he can do it without guilt. Many may be disappointed with the end result of the meeting between him, Mike Portnoy and Steve Morse, but listen to this self-titled debut was very refreshing to my ears. What's wrong with a bit of simplicity from time to time?

While the five names that make up the band four are known to me (even Dave LaRue already was familiar), the biggest surprise was the vocalist Casey McPherson. Who is this guy? Where did? He was nominated by Portnoy, and I agree with what the reviewer said MuzikMan on the best drummer in the world to create their own label to mine new talent, because he has a great nose for it. McPherson's voice is great, nice (somewhat nasal, but I really have not found problems with it as meeting with other vocalists similar feature) and works well in the context and the proposal of the album, sounding like an element in favor - and I think which is better even than the voice of Neal.

Flying Colors is an album of pure rock in the end, something not sounding too poppy or mainstream - any Progger will animate with the epic Infinite Fire, which falls here as well as on any album Neal. Other highlights include opening Blue Ocean, the heavy Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda, the pop Kayla, the beautiful ballads Everything Changes (this is to do cry it is so beautiful) and Better Than Walking Away. As a bonus we have the delicious Fool in My Heart, sung by (gasp) Mike Portnoy!

Honours 4 stars.

Flying Colors is inconsistent. Most of the songs have nothing "wrong" with them, but they left me utterly bored and unengaged, despite the strong technical skill in the supergroup. There are some moments in the music that become interesting, but overall this album is a very formulaic rock album, usually sounding more like modern mainstream rock (with hints of mainstream rock from all decades) than progressive rock. This in itself isn't a problem, but the result was that I was unengaged for most of the album. There are some great tracks, but they are diluted by the greater number of average and sub-par tracks. This is the type of album that's likely to fade from my memory over time.

Rating: 5/10

There seems to be quite a spread of opinion on this album. Some think it's great, others are not impressed. Myself, I'm in the former camp. It could possibly be the best album of 2012 for me (though Neal Morse's Momemtum runs it close). Virtually all of the songs are winners in my book, though not being into heavy metal I tend to skip Shoulda Coulda Woulda and All Falls Down. Of the rest, my personal favourites are Blue Ocean, Kayla, Everything Changes, and the one progressive track, Infinite Fire. The highlight of this last one is an excellent duelling keyboard and guitar section featuring the two Morses. All of the musicians play superbly, but special mention must be made for Steve Morse for some excellent solos, even channelling Brian May at one point, and also Casey MacPherson on vocals.

Considering that the album was written and recorded in only a couple of weeks,it sounds amazing. I can't wait to see what their second album is like.

Despite all the cheese on this album, I probably still would have given it three stars if they had just let Neal Morse sing. I intensely dislike the vocals of Casey McPherson. He will be singing along just fine and then inexplicably add this bizarre nasally twang (not uncommon to current pop singers). I can't stand to listen to it.

Some of the extended instrumental sections in the longer songs are pretty cool, but not so profound that it keeps me coming back.

In the end, the album isn't terrible, but I honestly don't care if I ever hear it again. Considering the personnel, rather disappointing.

What happens when you put a group of fabulous musicians in a room to write a killer album? They produce the unthinkable, something glorious, right? Well, not always. For all the talk in Flying Color's pre-release videos about how they felt like the stars were aligning for this album, they sure managed to produce something which, to my ears and tastes, sounded like decent pop music. Just to clear things up, if this was their aim, they did a really solid job at writing good pop rock.

Now, here are the things you probably want to know about my opinion on the album (after all, you are reading my article). First question: How are the performances? Answer: Great. Second question: How are the songs? They didn't even come close to doing it for me. Mr. LaRue, Morse, McPhearson, Portnoy, and Morse may have been amazed at how naturally the songs came together, but when you get musicians as good as them together, it shouldn't take long to hammer out some good pop songs, which is exactly what's going on here. What's hard is for a bunch of guys as good as them to meet up and produce high quality, original, ambitious music. I'm not saying virtuoso or technical, but ambitious, something that aims high, that seeks to go beyond the mundane. All I can say is that I hope that they get a hit single and make a huge buck on this album.

Are there no redeeming moments? Of course there's some great seconds that happen. There's a couple of good choruses, Steve has a really cool guitar solo on "The Storm," Mike's drumming overall fits the music very well and has several sweet moments, etc. But don't be expecting a prog album here. Even saying this is a prog influenced pop album I think is a bit of a stretch for 90% of the songs. Let's get to that 10%. The last track, "Infinite Fire," is the gem of the album. Here's the thing; it's catchy, but not corny. It's got hooks, but doesn't scream out generic pop rock. Apart from that, it's got all the prog elements we want from these guys. It doesn't need to be insane and over the top with time signature changes every three seconds to get its point across. In other words, it's got all the proggy goodness without being overly pretentious. The themes are great, the vibe is nice and melodic, and I'm not gonna lie, I actually enjoyed the vocals on this one. Amazing, right? At least they closed off the album strong.

I'm going to commit heresy and say that unless you are wanting to add some pop rock to your collection, skip the album and just buy the mp3 of "Infinite Fire"? if you can find just the mp3.

Review Nº 463

"Flying Colors" is the eponymous debut studio album of the American super group Flying Colors and was released in 2012. This super group is formed by Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse, Steve Morse, Dave LaRue and Casey McPherson. The formation of the group started with the idea of having several virtuoso musicians and a pop singer joined together to make new fashioned music in the old fashioned way. The idea appeared in 2008 by the executive producer Bill Evans and the album was made with the help of the music producer Peter Collins. Intrigued with the idea and the prospect of working together, this group of musicians signed on to a contract to form a band and record a full length studio album.

So, the line up of the album is Casey McPherson (lead vocals), Steve Morse (lead and rhythm guitar), Neal Morse (vocals and keyboards), Dave LaRue (bass guitar) and Mike Portnoy (vocals, drums and percussion).

"Flying Colors" has eleven tracks. The first track "Blue Ocean" starts with a good and solid bass line by Dave LaRue. Vocalist Casey McPherson shows early that he is able to hold his ground within this so strong cast of musicians. By the other hand Steve Morse supplies the first, of what will be the main characteristic of the album, great melodic solos. The second track "Shoulda Coulda Woulda" represents a heavier rock track where Portnoy and LaRue make an excellent rhythm section. It's a standard hard and heavy rock song that shows the high quality of all musicians. This is the heaviest track on the album and is also probably to standard to my personal taste. The third track "Kayla" begins with a very promising way. Soon, I felt that it was to be a strong track with a great melody and a great vocal line by Casey. The vocal line in the chorus takes us into the catchy territory of American bands like Styx, Kansas and Journey. The fourth track "The Storm" is another hook filled track once more with some rally concise and fine guitar solos. I know this is a very standard rock track but, we are in presence of a very well written, performed and executed piece of music. The fifth track "Forever In A Daze" presents us with a fine interplay between Portnoy and LaRue. The song has a nice and rhythmic passage and the vocals are some of the strongest made on the album. The song has a funky, bluesy and even jazzy line and it has also a great guitar work by Steve Morse. The sixth track "Love Is What I'm Waiting For" is typically a commercial pop rock track. This is a song very influenced by The Beatles and it has also some Queen influences, particularly the guitar work that reminds us Brian May. This is a typical song of the 60's and 70's pop rock genre. The seventh track "Everything Changes" is a typical ballad with acoustic guitar to start and a simple back track of drums and bass to keep things moving. Once more we can see the influence of The Beatles on the song. And, once more, we can see a superior vocal and guitar works on this powerful and beautiful ballad. The eighth track "Better Than Walking Away" is another typical American ballad fashion way that gradually becoming louder and heavier and where its climax appears just before the song ends. This is AOR in its optimum form. The ninth track "All Falls Down" is like "Shoulda Coulda Woulda" a heavy rock song with some fast paced drumming and a great riff. It demonstrates that despite should the fancy take them, then the area of progressive metal can be very well on the album. The tenth track "Fool In My Heart" sees Mike Portnoy taking over the microphone. Once again Neal Morse taking the upper hand in the musical arrangement giving the song a rare blend of Portnoy and Morse sound. The bluesy solo by Steve Morse completes the feel of the song. The eleventh and last track "Infinite Fire" is the epic track on the album, the most progressive of all. It's a very well structured song and where we can see clearly the hand of Neal Morse. The song combines several styles of music, from blues to rock, funk and jazz. It's a perfect way to close this intriguing, surprising and magnificent album.

Conclusion: This is the kind of albums that divide the opinions of the prog heads. For the purists, this is an outrage for the progressive rock. It will annoy some radicals for its pop prog tendencies and modern production. Many may ask how can a group of such esteemed progressive musicians make an album like this, with any overt progressive leanings and choose a pop rock singer. Sincerely, I'm not in this group. I sincerely recommend this album, because probably I had no great expectations with it, in the beginning. "Flying Colors" is the kind of albums that grows as I heard it, and the more I heard it, the more I like it. It's true this isn't properly truly a progressive rock album. Still, I like this album, really. As I wrote before, I can't see any weak points on the album and I sincerely like the vocal work of Casey McPherson. So, and concluding, if you're looking for some sort of Transatlantic, Dream Theater or Deep Purple stuff here, you are wrong, and barring the last track "Infinite Fire" this may well not be the album you are looking for. However, if you search for a catchy and crafted melodic rock album with more than just a hint of progressive music, you're in the right place here. It captures your fancy and you willn't give a misused your money and time spent with it.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

The first one by the supergroup Flying Colors, formed by Mike Portnoy, Dave LaRue, Casey McPherson, Neal Morse, and Steve Morse. I see this line-up and I know that it's going to be cool (and prog?), well not really, it's so cool but a different feeling.

Such a great record, although most of the songs are not really proggy, it's a great collection of well written music and mostly art rock. This album had a producer, and you can notice that. The choice of songs, progressions, sounds...

I prefer their second and third album, but here there are some incredible tunes like "The Storm", "Kayla", "Blue Ocean" and the mini epic "Infinite Fire". The lyrics are so good and with a deep message, and without any doubt, nice music!