Keep up the pace or get out of the way! Try keeping up with Neal Morse and you may have to catch your breath. Get in his way and he might run you over!
The gifted musician and prolific composer started off 2012 with the release of the Flying Colours project, followed that up with a second disc of cover songs (tiled, oddly enough, Cover 2 Cover) and now delivers us his seventh solo album of progressive of rock, Momentum.
Morse, with longtime friends Mike Portnoy and Randy George, once again demonstrates his mastery of progressive rock on a disc that is (in my opinion) a little more accessible than some of his earlier solo sets.
The music is creative and fresh, with heaviness juxtaposed against soaring, melodic, vocal arrangements.
There are also lighter, acoustic driven moments that harken back to early seventies prog.
Momentum would not be a Morse album without a half-hour song as the centerpiece, and this one concludes with an epic song in six parts, "World Without End."
This masterpiece contains Morse's signature vocal, piano and guitar arrangements along with deftly blended moments of atmospheric grandeur with metal-like heaviness-it is simply quintessential Neal Morse.
Up until this release, I have always said that Morse is at his best in a group setting-I felt that his Spock's Beard, Transatlantic and Flying Colours output topped his solo efforts (even though the solo efforts were quite good).
This album may have me retracting that statement. In short, Morse is a master of melodic and progressive rock, and Momentum is one heckuva fine album. You're going to want to pick this one up.
MOMENTUM
THOUGHTS PART 5
Hey, stranger! How have you been? I count on you for music tips, and this one is no exception. I don't know how come I haven't heard of this cat before. I really enjoyed that first cut and will defintely check out some more. The music is fresh and new to me, and I'm very curious about this artist.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Take care, huh!
-Jimmy
Thanks James-
ReplyDeleteI am changing jobs very soon and hope to actually be able to have a life in the new one.
And since there's a commute involved, I'll have a little more time each day for quality listening, and should be able to post a little more regularly.
I would also highly recommend Spock's Beard "V" and Transatlantic's "The Whirlwind" for other example's of Neal's work.
Larry