Description

NEAL MORSE – ONE At long last. The holy grail of prog! Take great artists like NEAL MORSE, MIKE PORTNOY and PHIL KEAGGY and put them together and…LOOK OUT! Here’s how one reviewer put it: “Take Transatlantic, the orchestral beauty of Testimony and some clear nods to the prog greats of Genesis, YES, and Gentle Giant, along with some lesser pop sounds like old Tears For Fears and some Who derived moments and Neal’s inescapable Beatles influence and you have it all.” This is ONE great album! He goes on to say: “Speaking of Portnoy. Hold on to your socks! There are some absolute freak out moments of drum god envy going on! I mean that guy has done some freaky stuff with Dream Theater to say the least but there are a couple of tunes on here like “Author Of Confusion” that were seemingly written to give Portnoy the opportunity to shine, I dare say, brighter than ever before!” Here’s what Neal had to say about it: “The Lord works in mysterious ways. I never thought this album was going to turn out as good as I think it has. I was stuck writing it for months. All along feeling like I needed help, knowing I had something, but also knowing it wasn’t quite ‘there’. I felt like it needed collaborators, but had no idea who those collaborators were. Then, along came Randy George (who was part of the Testimony band) and the correct missing words and music seemed to just roll off the tip of his tongue. He would say a line and I would shake my head, stunned, saying ‘wow… that’s IT!’ Enter Mike Portnoy who is not just a master drummer but also a master at arranging parts and musical passages and almost immediately it took shape and was, well, almost PERFECT! Can you tell I’m excited?” This album essentially tells the story of man’s creation/separation/reunion with God. But, of course, that is not unique. What’s unique about this album is the way in which the familiar story is told, with sweeping grand passages as well as heavy prog and emotionally wrenching songs, this is truly a unique album the likes of which has never been attempted before. Also featured on the album is the guitar work and vocals of the great PHIL KEAGGY who also sings a duet with Neal (“The Cradle to the Grave”). Track List: 1. The Creation 18:22 I) One Mind II) In a Perfect Light III) Where Are You? IV) Reaching from the Heart 2. The Man’s Gone 2:50 3. Author of Confusion 9:30 4. The Separated Man 17:58 I) I’m in a Cage II) I am The Man III) The Man’s Gone (Reprise) IV) Something Within Me Remembers 5. Cradle to the Grave 4:55 6. Help Me/The Spirit and the Flesh 11:13 7. Father of Forgiveness 5:46 8. Reunion 9:11 I) No Separation II) Grand Finale III) Make Us One Total Time: 79:55 And the Bonus Disc (Special Edition only) Back to the Garden 4:26 Nothing to Believe 3:29 Cradle to the Grave (Neal’s Voc) 4:55 King Jesus 4:48 What Is Life? 4:28 Where the Streets Have No Name 5:46 Day After Day 3:25 Chris Carmichael’s Aria 1:07 I’m Free / Sparks 6:36 Total Time: 39:14 The Bonus disc is amazing as well. With 3 great extra songs from the album, plus a version of “The Cradle to the Grave” with Neal’s original vocals and then 4 (count’ em – 4!) great cover songs with killer performances, this is the best bonus disc I’ve ever heard!! Wait ‘til you hear Mr. Portnoy go off on The Who stuff!! It’s incredible! Plus the duet with Phil Keaggy and Neal singing George Harrison’s “What is Life” is impeccable and a dream come true. Check out the sound samples at www.nealmorse.com