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Neal Morse - Neal Morse & The Resonance: No Hill for a Climber CD (album) cover

NEAL MORSE & THE RESONANCE: NO HILL FOR A CLIMBER

Neal Morse

Symphonic Prog


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richardh
PROG REVIEWER
5 stars No Mike Portnoy

With all the hooplah involved in his return to Dream Theater, was does Neil Morse do now? Jump of the nearest tall building? Curl up into a ball and cry like a baby? No he chooses to work with some talented local musicians and in my estimation at least make his best album for 10 years. What an absolutely beautiful record this is. ''2 long tracks don't make a great prog album'' someone said recently. Well what about 2 long tracks and 3 shorter tracks then? Does that work, it certainly does! This is how you make a prog record and in the process you seed the next generation. Well done Neil and thank you for this faultless gem.

Report this review (#3113296)
Posted Friday, November 8, 2024 | Review Permalink
2 stars Neal releases another samey sounding album with some new band mates, The Resonance. The musicianship and recording is top quality as usual but none of the songs, with the exception of "Thief", move me. We have heard these riffs, countless times before. And that's okay for some, but I find it tiresome with Neal's solo work specifically because of the lyrics. Once again he sings about his imaginary friend, and it is especially cringey on "Ever Interceding". As I mentioned earlier I like "Thief"... it has a cool blues vibe and the break at 2:20 sounds a lot like Spock's Beard. The faux horn arrangements towards the end of the song are kind of different.

Anyway, I can't give this release much praise. I rate this for fans only, therefore two stars.

Report this review (#3113727)
Posted Sunday, November 10, 2024 | Review Permalink
4 stars As will be apparent for anyone who has read my other reviews and posts on the forum, I am a great admirer of Neal Morse. For me his two best albums are Question Mark and Sola Scriptura, and I don't think he's bettered them since. However, he has come close on many occasions, and this latest album I would put in that category.

The publicity blurb for the album said that Neal compared it to Transatlantic's Bridge Across Forever or Spock's Beard's V. I don't see that myself. My point of reference would be NMB's The Grand Experiment, which also has a medium-length epic and an almost 30 minute epic bookending three shorter songs. Of the shorter songs, there is a straightforward rocker (All The Rage cf. The Grand Experiment) and an acoustic number (Ever Interceding cf. Waterfall), and I get definite "Alive Again" vibes from the title track. What makes this new album better than The Grand Experiment is that all five songs are excellent, there is no let-down like the awful "Agenda." I believe I gave TGE 4 stars, so I'll happily give this 4.5. If you're a fan of Neal's music, you will love this album.

No Hill For A Climber is, naturally, an album that sounds like what you would expect from Mr Morse. This is particularly apparent in the opening track, Eternity In Your Eyes. There are, however, some different ideas that come from working with new and younger musicians. And make no mistake, these are not just session players, these guys are seriously good. I'm sure that, once Mike Portnoy has more free time, Neal will get back with him, Randy, Eric and Bill, but I also believe that the guys who make up The Resonance should carry on making their own music. I'm sure they can count on help and support from the maestro himself.

Report this review (#3114531)
Posted Tuesday, November 12, 2024 | Review Permalink
4 stars A very great album that hurts me for its many ramifications, for its endless finales, for its 2 big titles with an intro of more than 5 minutes. It's just on the edge of annoying to see Neal's presence in composing old-time prog with such ease; it seems like it's the same the same time every time it's released....But there's a little change, a more substantial, faster crescendo, there's still his touch of a musician possessed by God, figuratively or not; Mike has gone to join his dream theater and it still hits just as well, the musicians here are little known to me, but it plays divinely, ah I had sworn that I wouldn't talk about religion anymore.

The album with 3 short tracks to get your hands dirty, a nice start before diving in, slipping into the tracks 'Eternity' of more than 20 minutes and 'No Hill' the eponymous title, long, captivating tracks that bore me I've already written it elsewhere; not that it's not good but because I feel engulfed in this bed of notes, in these convoluted drawers, in these barely admitted reminiscences; yes Neal must have really been touched by grace to release these tracks that don't leave anyone indifferent, except me. I don't have time anymore at the moment, but as soon as I have it I will find it energetic, complete, devilishly progressive.

2. Thief for its bluesy jazzy charlestonian side, for the atmosphere, the guitar solo, but not for the worn-out chorus; for the guitar solo which is divine, the return to the verse with languid brass and this finale which swells and leaves you speechless, breathe 3. All the Rage I pass, too much as mentioned above or just for the velvety finale 4. Ever Interceding for the acoustic guitar intro and the air which starts on a divine hymn, we want to take each other by the shoulders and dance around the table

1. Eternity in Your Eyes in 7 drawers with the symphonic reference intro; after that it's MORSE I pass for the points stated, good but redundant; up to 7 minutes with this moving vocoder in this break, this pierced balloon, this bluesy-groovy space with this angelic guitar; the moment at 12 minutes with the church organ, there it rocks in a solemn way; after that I drown again; 16 minutes and it starts again, good but repetitive, hey it sounds like SPOCK'S BEARD... for those who know the guy it's a bit disappointing even; the last minute is Dantesque for its decrescendo 5. No Hill for a Climber in 6 parts and the crystalline, oriental intro, the magic flute, in short a symphonic flight of almost 5 minutes magnificently orchestrated to fly very high, untellable; after that it's a tendency towards mawkish levels with a Neal who screams in stereo more than anything else, you have to get used to it; 7 and a half minutes and already the deliverance with this divine keyboard, damn I said I was stopping; there's even some VANGELIS in it, that's saying something and Philip and Joe's drums deliver; spoken break before a long sustained crescendo flirting with a prog metal from 1001 nights; halfway through and it suddenly goes up before leaving for another drawer, count which one; we come back to earth to have the sequence à la YES, yes I assume, the voice, the divine keyboard to touch the sun; keyboard break à la MORSE and its chorus, I pass! The rise is beautiful but grandiloquent; there are 5 minutes left, a music title in fact to have the long-awaited ceremony also predictable but confirming the inevitable end; a hidden outro with the True finale, ah the rascal, and the classical-romantic suite with violins to close your eyes and dream of this symphonic journey such as we could make during the 70s; yes it is indeed rock Dino that we have had to deal with.

Report this review (#3119494)
Posted Wednesday, November 27, 2024 | Review Permalink
4 stars Celebrated progger elite Neal Morse is back once again, and with a totally new band this time. With the recent uncertain status of Neal's other band-related projects, Transatlantic and the Neal Morse Band (due to Mike Portnoy leaving to re-join Dream Theater), the ever-active Neal found some new mates to hang with, a group of local musicians Neil started jammng with that became this new project. And this new blood has revitalized Neil's music to some degree, as he delivers his best album since the last Neal Morse Band outing, Innocence and Danger (2021). Constructed with opening and closing mammoth-length epic tracks with shorter songs in-between, Neal has once again concocted an engaging, satisfying album of world-class prog. And this new band is more than just back-up for Neil, as they make great contributions with stellar playing, soloing, and additional new elements. Sure, it still sounds quite a bit like several other Neal Morse projects, but there are some new wrinkles here, and when the music is this good throughout, it's hard to complain that it should somehow be different. It all pretty much works here, with great songs, jamming, and emotional heft throughout. One minor complaint is that neither one of the epic tracks fully justify their extended lengths (at 21 and 29 min., respectively), they contain many wonderful and brilliant moments, but also have some lackluster or less appealing sections that could have been cut or reduced. Overall though, a wonderful album that presents a new band and indicates some possible new directions for Neil. Best Tracks: Ever Interceding, Thief, No Hill for a Climber, Eternity in Your Eyes. Rating: 4
Report this review (#3124880)
Posted Thursday, December 12, 2024 | Review Permalink

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