Neal Morse - Testimony

With such a huge body of work under his belt, I thought that it might be fun to do a Neal Morse related review of the week. As many of our readers may know, I am a huge Neal Morse fan, and he has been a huge part of so many albums, that it seemed fitting to do a review a week, so as not to flood this blog with Neal Morse reviews.

Neal Morse came to the public's eye as the front-man for United States prog giants, Spock's Beard. With the mighty Beard, Neal and the boys released six studio albums, before NM left the band due to religious beliefs, in 2002, shortly after the release of the band's double concept masterpiece, "Snow". The future for Neal became a bit uncertain to fans, as he also left the super-group Transatlantic at the same time. Luckily fans did not have to wait too long, as Neal's first post SB album was released in 2003. And that is the album that I want to talk about this week.

Neal had released two solo albums before this one, both of them more singer/songwriter albums. So when I first heard "Testimony" it took me a little while to really take it all in. There is so much going on in this album. But at the forefront is of course the progressive rock that Neal has not only become known for, but has become one of the greatest prog rock composers in years. The lyrics are deeply personal, and the music is everything that you would expect from Neal. So, pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. He manages to bring together elements of gospel, rock, prog, classical, funk, and almost anything else that you can think... except maybe rap. And for that, we thank you, Neal!

The first disc is the more desperate of the discs. The story tells of Neal's life in California, as he works through feelings of inadequacy, sadness, and confusion for a life that he felt was being wasted. He goes through heart-ache, sorrow, and all feelings in between. But just below the surface, he feels God reaching out for him. There are so many great moments on the first disc, and lyrics that could make even the most hardened music fan get a bit misty eyed.

As disc two starts, the entire vibe has been lifted, as Neal leaves the west coast, for Tennessee. This disc deals with more of his journey to find God, his marriage, and his coming to the realization that he is ready, and willing to allow God into his heart. The lyrics are so heartfelt that it had me pursuing religion a lot closer at the time.

Neal put his everything into this story, and this album. Writing melodies, and hooks that you can't help but sing along with, and smile, as you hear his life go from bad, to a life that any person could be proud to live. And he brought along a cast of amazing musicians along for the ride, including Kerry Livgren (Kansas), and the man behind the skins who has been with him for so many fantastic albums, Mr. Mike Portnoy.

Though this album did take me a while to really get into, once it clicked, it never left my rotation. I still listen to this album several times a year. And it just gets better with each listen. There are nuances, and beauties that can only really reveal themselves upon repeated listens. And while Neal is still releasing fantastic prog albums under his own name, this is the one that really started it all in his post-SB life, and showed him that no matter what he wants to do, he'll have an army of fans ready to support him. Because a man that can write such wonderfully crafted masterpieces deserves to be heard.

-Rob