Neal Morse United States
"Momentum is now the seventh solo prog album from Neal Morse. Those familiar with Morse's work know that he is a prolific songwriter always able to craft strong melodies which highlight his skills as a multi-instrumentalist while relying on significant contributions from Mike Portnoy and Randy George.
Momentum consists of five relatively short songs and one 33-minute epic ("World Without End"). The album opens with the title track "Momentum." I consider this to be high-quality pop/prog as it showcases an engaging upbeat melody and a blistering guitar solo from guest artist Paul Gilbert.
"Thoughts, Part 5" is next. This may just be the best song on the album and is very reminiscent of King Crimson's "Red," but with Gentle Giant-like vocal harmonies. After the heavy guitar riffs and vocal acrobats, the song ends with an instrumental jam with some really nice playing from both Portnoy and George.
"Smoke and Mirrors" follows and is a gorgeous piece very unique to what you might normally expect from Morse. I consider this to be the best ballad he has ever written and feel that it fits very nicely on this album.
"Weathering Sky" is the fourth track and while catchy and hard-driving, this is probably my least favorite song on the album. Neal says on the "Making of" DVD which is included with the Special Edition that he doesn't know what "weathering sky" means, but he liked the sound of it. While I find that mildly humorous, I personally prefer lyrics with meaning over lyrics that have none. I will discuss this a bit more later in this review.
"Freak" is next and is another slower song that I would consider to be "prog-lite." It has a catchy bridge that leads into a dynamic modulation giving the song a nice dramatic finish.
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"World Without End" is the final track, clocking in at 33 minutes. This is another strong epic which was have come to expect from Neal Morse. The song is divided up into six distinct parts all of which add quality parts to the whole. It is worth noting that there are some really interesting guitar solos peppered throughout the song, including a nifty bass solo toward the end. This song takes some time to truly appreciate. On the first few listens, nothing really stood out to me, yet I never grew tired or bored or felt like the song was bloated. Now after about ten listens, I've come to really enjoy almost everything about this epic track. My only quibble is my primary grievance with the album as a whole which is...
The lyrics! The scuttlebutt surrounding this album is that Morse wrote all of the music in two weeks with the lyrics presumably penned in that same time frame. The music is great, but the lyrics (primarily on "Thoughts," "Weathering Sky" and "World Without End") leave a lot to be desired. Now many listeners are going to be thrilled that the Christian references are virtually nonexistent, but they have been replaced with lyrics that are silly at best and at times, nonsensical. One of the things that I have loved about Morse's music is that his music and lyrics are usually pretty gripping and moving (whether you agree with them or not). I feel that aspect is completely missing on this particular album and as a result, brings it down a notch in my estimation from some of his better albums (One, ?, Sola Scriptura and Testimony 2).
Overall, I highly recommend the album and really feel as if all of the tracks are strong and perhaps more diverse musically from the typical Morse album."
"Having already given masterpiece status to two of Morse's other albums (One and ?), I thought it unlikely that he would be able to put out another stellar album after his more recent albums (Sola Scriptura and Lifeline) left me a little disappointed. I was wrong. Testimony 2 is a beautiful work and a true masterpiece.
I have been critical of Morse in the past for self-plagiarizing; but with this album being a sequel, it made sense to do that very thing. Interestingly enough, the reoccurring themes from the first Testimony album are brought to life in a fantastic way. Testimony 2 is full of dizzying overtures, soaring melodies and catchy themes which can't help but please. There are so many highlights, it's difficult to determine where to begin: "Overture No. 4" and "Time Changer" are brilliantly written and performed (with some nice contributions from guys named Nick D'Virgilio, Dave Meros and Alan Morse). "Jayda" is emotionally moving. "Jesus' Blood" and "The Truth Will Set You Free" are Neal Morse at his best with soulish singing and energetic playing on a wide assortment of instruments. "It's For You" is a fantastic tune with some stunning guitar work performed by Paul Bielatowicz.
Disc 1 closes with "Crossing Over" which is a nice ending, but also is my one quibble with the whole album in that it goes a little longer than I think it should. Morse likes having big drawn-out endings and for once I'd like to see something finish strong and abruptly. It's a minor quibble, but one I thought worth mentioning. I consider this a masterpiece without hesitation and I haven't even gotten to the best part...
Disc 2!
Three songs - all very strong - with "Seeds of Gold" being a 26-minute epic and an outstanding one at that. I highly recommend this album to any lover of prog music."
"Let me preface this review by admitting to being a rather big fan of Neal Morse's music, whether it be his solo output or his work with Spock's Beard and Transatlantic. I have enthusiastically given two of his solo albums 5-star ratings (One and ?) and been amazed at the volume of music he is able to write, record and produce in a short period of time. However, I think there is perhaps a noticeable downside to being such a prolific songwriter: the similar musical nuances that inevitably get re-used in a short period of time before the overall music style has a chance to sufficiently evolve. More than any artist I can think of, Morse gets blamed for self-plagiarizing and I believe this to be warranted. Morse makes it fairly obvious in his music where his influences lie and lately, he seems to be most influenced by his own past work.
I say all this in my review of Morse's latest release, Lifeline, since on the first few listens it is fairly distracting how much this sounds like a mesh of Snow, V, Sola Scriptura and One. I remember the first time I listened to Riverside's first album, Out of Myself. In my first few listens to that album, I felt like I was listening to a Pink Floyd cover band that had switched some words around and thrown in some growls for good measure. But after getting deeper into that album, that feeling went away and it sounded more like...Riverside. Unfortunately, with Lifeline, I just can't shake that deja vu feeling as some of the passages are just too similar, if not exactly the same as previous Morse music.
The album starts off with a fairly good song in the title track, Lifeline. It runs for over 13 minutes and moves at a great pace making it seem like a much shorter song. As others have noted, it sounds much like the opening tune from the One album (The Creation). This song has grown on me nicely since I first heard it and I pretty much enjoy it from start to finish.
The next four songs are all between 4 and 6 minutes and aren't especially noteworthy, with the exception of Leviathan which is just quirky enough to raise your eyebrows. While the tempo of Leviathan is reminiscent of Author of Confusion from One, this is the most unique song on the album and is another big grower. As I said, the other three are "lost in the shuffle" as they are typical Morse ballads in that they have nice tunes, uplifting lyrics and the usual acoustic guitar solo similar to the one in "We All Need Some Light".
"So Many Roads" is the big epic. For whatever reason, I'm just not that crazy about it. As a Morse fan, I usually absolutely love his long epics, but this one just doesn't quite measure up. It doesn't seem to have those bone-chilling moments that I have come to expect and get in good supply in All of the Above, The Great Nothing, The Creation, The Separated Man, The Door, ?, etc. etc. etc.
"Fly High" finishes the album off and is perhaps the catchiest tune on the whole album. Weighing in at six minutes and change, it leaves a great taste in my mouth at the conclusion and does not seem to have all the sameness that plagues much of this album.
While I think there is lots of great music on this album, it falls a bit flat on my ears. I actually think this album will be better received by people not familiar with Morse's other music, as they won't be distracted by the similarities to his previous work."
"This is a surprisingly enjoyable album, with outstanding performances put in by Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy and Randy George. If you like classic rock, then I would say that this album is an excellent addition to your collection.
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The highlights from this album (in my opinion) are Morse's renditions of "I'm Free/Sparks", "I'm the Man" and "Find My Way Back Home." Portnoy appears to have a field day on the kit pretending to be Keith Moon as he really delivers some excellent work covering The Who's "Sparks."
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I normally do not care much for albums such as this, but this compilation of songs was so good, and Morse & Company's delivery is so strong, I have no problem recommending this album."
"This is perhaps my favorite album of all time. It has everything that I look for in a great album: great melodies, grandiose epics, compelling theme and stunning musicianship. Morse is often-criticized as being too formulaic in his music and while I might tend to agree, his formula works to perfection on this album. If you like epics, you'll be hard-pressed to find an album that offers up as many solid epics as One as there are 5 tracks that are at least 9 minutes in length.
One is a concept album that encompasses almost the entire message of the Christian faith from the creation of the universe to the idea of eternal bliss in the presence of God. While I happen to enjoy the concept, for purposes of this review I will instead focus primarily on the music as that is ultimately the reason why I like this album so much. Morse does a wonderful job though of creating musical moods to reflect the story that he weaves with the lyrics.
Track 1: The Creation. This 18-minute epic is very good from start to finish, but is especially good from the 13-minute mark on as the music turns appropriately dark and sinister in line with the story being conveyed. Mike Portnoy's distinctive drumming is on full display and he does a really nice job of driving some of the fast sections of this song. Phil Keaggy also provides a nifty guitar solo on this track.
Track 2: The Man's Gone. This short song provides a nice reprieve after the intensity of the previous track. Most of this song establishes a theme which will reoccur at various times throughout the remainder of the album. This tends to be a Morse trademark.
Track 3: Author of Confusion. This song is crazy. Portnoy, Randy George on the bass and Morse on lead guitar and vocals are a whirling dervish of sound on this track. The musicians' technical skills are showcased in this 9-minute track which leaves me breathless due to the intensity and tempo.
Track 4: The Separated Man. Morse continues his love affair with epics with this 18-minute bouquet of musical goodness. I happen to really enjoy this song that despite changing styles a number of times over the course of the song, it flows really well. There are elements of guitar-driven metal, followed by beautiful piano-driven acoustic portions, with a flamenco guitar solo to lead back to some heavier prog metal portions. Morse is a master at putting together a good epic and this track is no exception.
Track 5: Cradle to the Grave. This somber duet between Morse and Phil Keaggy is a nice change of pace. This is probably my least favorite track on the album, mainly due to its AOR/pop style.
Track 6: Help Me/The Spirit and the Flesh. The tempo picks back up with this song as the musicians again are allowed to show off as Morse delivers some nice piano parts along with an impressive acoustic guitar solo, while Portnoy and George push the pace. Morse's emotions really come out in his vocal performance as he ranges from angst to peace from the start to the finish of this song.
Track 7: Father of Forgiveness. This six-minute ballad provides an important step in the album concept from a lyrical standpoint, but is not especially noteworthy from a musical standpoint other than having a nice, memorable melody.
Track 8: Reunion. Morse closes out the album with a fun-filled epic that comes off as a semi-structured jam session. For an album with so many highlights, I love the way this song concludes everything as its upbeat feeling is transferred to the listener. As a prog fan, the musical experience ends on such a satisfying note, that you are tempted to immediately give the disc another spin. I know that sounds a bit overboard, but that's certainly the feeling that it gave me on plenty of occasions.
Morse hits a home run with this release, making it his masterpiece (though his Question Mark album is awfully good as well). In this reviewer's opinion, it's truly a masterpiece and a must-listen for any fan of symphonic prog."
"Overall, I think Sola Scriptura is an outstanding album. It has great music which is performed amazingly well by Mike Portnoy, Randy George, Paul Gilbert and Mr. Morse himself. It also has stunning cover art which provides a wonderful backdrop for the album’s concept. Fans of Spock’s Beard, Dream Theater, Transatlantic and Morse’s other albums will enjoy this release.
I have listened to this album over 40 times now. As much as I like it, I don’t think it’s quite up to the level of Neal’s last two albums (One and ?, which I both gave 5 stars without reservation). My main criticism with this new album is that it borrows too much from what Neal has already recorded. This has been pointed out in many of the previous reviews and is very obvious, in my opinion. There are sections which sound just like Snow, V, One and Testimony. Even though I like the music in all of these places, I have heard it before.
Even though I’ve never had a problem with Morse’s lyrics, I know there are those who do not appreciate the Christian message that is typically at the forefront of his music. This album actually has a fairly dark atmosphere and the words are more cryptic than what you will normally find from Morse.
The opening track is The Door and is certainly one of the finest tunes that Morse has ever written. It is a 29-minute epic which has all sorts of moods, twisting and turning to the final climax highlighted by a wonderful guitar solo by Paul Gilbert.
Another epic (The Conflict) follows and is a very dark song with a strong metal vibe to it. Morse’s vocals are surprisingly good throughout this song and another catchy guitar solo by Gilbert steals the show (this one is acoustic).
This album is structured identically to that of Transatlantic’s Bridge Across Forever with four songs, three of them being epics with a more poppish tune inserted into the third position on the album. Heaven in my Heart is the third song and while many prog fans seem to be bored by it, I actually like it quite a bit even though it is the least progressive music on the album.
The fourth and final song is The Conclusion. This song seems to lack the firepower that was so evident in the first two tracks. I find that it has some very good parts, but also has what I would consider to be a bit of aimless fluff. I do think the climax is very nice though with choir-like voices coming in to accentuate what Morse is singing."
"Overall, this is a very impressive album. From start to finish, there is no let-up in good music. What is somewhat unique is that the whole album is really just one song, with twelve distinct "segments." But the music flows non-stop and is one cohesive unit, making for an outstanding conceptual piece from Neal Morse. As has been stated in previous reviews, Morse relies on the skills of Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater), Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Alan Morse (Spock's Beard), Roine Stolt (Flower Kings), Randy George (Ajalon) and Steve Hackett in the making of this album.
Segment 1: The Temple of the Living God
The main theme floats in over the sounds of a wind-swept scape and begins to build into some excellent progressive runs using a piano/keyboard and then is joined by a nasty saxophone. The opening lyrics tell of a necessary quest to find the temple of the living God. Morse lays the lyrical foundation for the album by declaring that a sacrifice is necessary in order to successfully find the temple of the living God.
Segment 2: Another World
The music subtly changes as the quest begins by "stepping into another world." This is the world of the Biblical Old Testament, where the Israelites communed with God through the Mosaic tabernacle. This is a short segment but has a wonderful chorus with some intricate chord changes that are eyebrow raising the first five times you hear it and are mesmerizing after you become familiar with where the music is going. Great stuff packed into this segment which finishes with a solitary acoustic guitar to lead into...
Segment 3: The Outsider
Morse tells of someone looking into the world of the Mosaic tabernacle and the priests who were responsible for making sacrifices to appease God and to make atonement for the wrongs of the Israelites. Lyrically, this segment paints a nice picture of "a no one hiding outside" looking into the goings-on of God's people. The music begins quietly and adds some majestic bells which builds into...
Segment 4: Sweet Elation
The presence of God is sweet elation and is described as being "a cloud of secrets fills the air as the lines are blurred between here and there." The music continues to crescendo with stunning acoustic guitar work and a huge emphasis on the bass. This segment will appeal to many to the catchy pop chorus and the lengthy solos which will put a hard-core progger in hysterics. The solos take over to bring a close to this segment.
Segment 5: In the Fire
Morse begins this track with some Wah-Wah "talking" guitar that leads into an amazing vocal display as Neal layers numerous vocal harmonies into a great sounding melody. This segment starts off fairly innocent, but then starts building quickly and before you know it, Morse is yelling "BURN IT DOWN!" This scream is followed by a dizzying array of solos, first keyboard, then some drums and bass, then a guitar (sounds like that kooky Alan Morse cutting the solo) and then some more keyboard and then...well, let's just say one solo leads into another for an intense build-up of sound. Morse's sticky sweet vocals come back in attempting to keep this song on topic, which is the need for a sacrifice to appease a holy and righteous God. The vocal arrangements start to trade punches with some of the instrumental solos and the momentum keeps building and never really slows down while leading right into...
Segment 6: Solid As The Sun
This is probably my favorite portion of the album. The rhythm section really drives this segment which is culminated in a wonderful bass solo which should tickle the fancy of any musician. Some great music here with some repeated refrains from the previous segment. There is a musical climax as the first half of the album comes to a close.
Segment 7: The Glory of the Lord
This segment is other-worldly in its heavenly choir sound. Many have complained of its brevity, but Morse seems to just use this as a quick intermission between the first half of the album and the second half which begins with...
Segment 8: Outside Looking In
This tune is easily the most accessible song on the album and is gut-wrenching in its sorrowful lyrics and quest for hope. It is a slower ballad which lays the foundation for the subsequent segments to build and to offer a solution to the lyrical anguish expressed in this song.
Segment 9: 12
This song is a highlight reel which begins somewhat inauspiciously with a repeated theme of the Biblical significance of the number 12. Then when Steve Hackett's solo hits your ears, your jaw may just drop to the floor. I hate using the same tired clichés when described good music, but I must succumb to the temptation and state that Hackett's solo truly is a mind-blower.
Segment 10: Entrance
Hackett's solo kicked things into a higher gear in the last song and things continue to build during this segment which I consider to be my second-favorite of the album. There are lots of wonderful things going on here with obvious bells being rung when "the gates are being opened." This song also reaches a stunning climax in musical intensity which will leave some listeners out of breath (but wanting more!).
Segment 11: Inside His Presence
Entrance ended with a bang and now this song comes with a little less emphasis but quickly grows and ends with some powerful lyrics and wonderful music to boot.
Segment 12: The Temple of the Living God
The journey ends where it began and let me tell you, it really was a fun and exhilarating journey.
Conclusion:
Obviously, I enjoy this album and Morse's music in general. If you enjoyed his previous efforts, I would be very surprised if you did not fall in love with this album. Great songwriting, great lyrics, great performances from the all-star lineup and a fun musical journey make this a truly great album in my opinion."
"This is the second album from Mr. Morse since he left Spock's Beard. In my opinion it is better than the first one (Testimony) in several ways. It's less emotional than Testimony, because it is not autobiographical. One is a very tight album, and very cleverly constructed. Highlights are Author Of Confusion, which is a very complicated track with lots of breaks, frenzy druming and guitar riffing and Gentle Giant like vocal fugues that have become a trademark of Neal's songs, and The Separated Man, which contains some amazing oriental sounding parts and - as a contrast - is based on acoustic guitars.
All the other songs are brilliant as well. Cradle to the Grave might seem a little cheesy to some (It's a duet sung by God and man), but it is so well done that one can hardly complain about that.
Musicianship is stellar on this album, as is the production. Neal's guitars sound very modern on this album, compared to the fuzzy sound on Testimony. Mike Portnoy does an even better job than on Testimony, giving the songs plenty of room to breathe. As a whole, the album also seems more compact than Testimony - clocking in at nearly 80 minutes, it fits on one CD."
