|
Home: N : Neal Morse : Review
Testimony Review
Album Description
2 Disc Box set including a booklet of "Testimony notes" with
Neal's reflections on each track. . ARTIST BIO:: When NEAL
MORSE left SPOCK'S BEARD, the band he founded with his brother
in Los Angeles in 1992, legions of SB fans around the world
were left wondering if they would hear from Neal ever again.
To many fans, SPOCK'S BEARD was Neal, or at least Neal's
musical vision. As the band's primary songwriter and lead
vocalist, the only apparent reason to leave the highly acclaimed
musical juggernaut at the height of their global popularity,
would be to set away from music all together...
History...
Neal grew up in the San Fernando Valley
area of Los Angeles throughout the 60's and 70's. His father
was a choral director and his influence on Neal was quite
significant, teaching him to harmonize at an early age
and exposing him to many different styles of music. Neal
began taking piano lessons at the age of five, sang lead
in the opera "Amahl and
the Night Visitors" at the tender age of nine, and picked
up the guitar soon afterwards. Throughout his twenties, Neal
wrote about a million songs and played all over Los Angeles
trying to get a deal as a singer/songwriter. In between writing
two full-scale musicals, Neal also played sessions for Al
Stewart, Peter White and Skipper Wise amongst others.
In his early thirties, Morse grew restless
with the LA scene and packed up his things to go travel
around Europe, busking in the streets and playing in small
clubs. Neal found the experience to be quite valuable and
after having played all over Hamburg, Berlin and Paris,
he returned to the US and decided to form the band Spock's
Beard with his brother Alan. Recruiting a line up of top
session musicians, the band recorded it's debut album, "The Light" in 1994, an album
which critics have called one of the best progressive albums
of the last ten years. The band (with Neal) has recorded
five studio albums and one live album ("Beware Of Darkness", "The
Kindness Of Strangers", "Day For Night", "V", "Snow" and "The
Beard Is Out There - Live") and have been hailed as
one of the best progressive bands on the scene.
In 2002, after the release of Spock's
Beard's epic 2 CD concept album "Snow", Neal inexplicably left the
group. The timing could not have been stranger, as "Snow" received
unanimous beaming reviews from writers around the world.
Well, fortunately for his audience
and seemingly overnight, Neal is far from done, and is
more likely just getting started. In similar step with
his SPOCK'S BEARD swansong "Snow",
Neal has fashioned yet another double disc of stunning music. "Testimony" is
a new beginning for Neal, and a glorious musical beginning
it is. Neal's musical output is, for lack of a better word,
staggering. 21 tracks include all the elements Neal has become
famous for, a cappella multi-harmonic vocal sections, thought
provoking lyrics and the top shelf musicianship lacking in
most popular music today. Neal has broadened his musical
breadth on "Testimony" including, for the first
time, members of the NASHVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. Neal even
has even gone so far as to reach out to one of his own musical
influences, KERRY LIVGREN (KANSAS), who graciously contributed
to "Testimony". Long time friend and TRANSATLANTIC
collaborator, MIKE PORTNOY (Dream Theater) also refused to
be left behind, and can be heard behind the drum kit on the
entire album. You can hear Neal's newfound enthusiasm on "Testimony",
it's the sound of a modern musical master, and quite a testimony
it is.
Review by: Anonymous, Amazon.com
|
