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I figure that if you’ve got an aversion to anything pertaining
to the Christian persuasion then you have as many Neal Morse
CDs in your collection as I have albums by Madonna. I understand.
It’s quite alright. But, having been born and raised in the
church eons ago, the spiritual content of his material caters
to and fulfills a part of me that I’ve ignored all too often
throughout my many adult years. Having said that, I’m enough
of a prog snob to assure you that if his music wasn’t challenging
and intriguing I wouldn’t give him a second listen. So I’m
no Neal Morse Kool-Aid drinker if that’s what you’re thinking.
Each of his offerings stands or slumps on its own merits.***
This is the album I was hoping he’d make at this juncture
of his career. His output (for the most part) since leaving
Spock’s Beard and Transatlantic has consisted of lengthy,
involved projects that dealt with one central concept whether
it was man’s estrangement from God or Luther’s revolution.
And, with talented cohorts Mike Portnoy and Randy George (not
to mention a bevy of guest artists like Steve Hackett and
Phil Keaggy), he has produced some of the best symphonic progressive
rock I’ve ever heard. Now, while his approach has great appeal
for me, the size and scope of those CDs probably overwhelms
the majority of the non-prog audience and discourages their
investments in his music. In essence, they are prog albums
with a heavy emphasis on religion whereas “Lifeline” is a
religious work that draws generously from the prog reservoir.
Had he released another 80-minute-long project based on a
single idea I would have joined those who are saying that
he’s in a rut. But here he has switched gears and delivered
seven individual pieces that have little to do with one another
(other than proclaiming his beliefs) while the quality of
the work remains unimpeachable. On rare occasions I dial in
local Christian radio stations in my area just to see what’s
going on in that realm and, believe me, there’s no genre more
in need of a progressive movement within its ranks. Morse
has made his art more accessible to fans of praise music without
betraying or compromising his prog pedigree and I heartily
applaud him for that.***
“Lifeline” begins with a piano intro, then the fantastic
rhythm section of Portnoy & George join Neal in a driving
prog pattern that kicks serious tail for over four minutes
before the verses and choruses arrive. Morse writes better
lyrics when he’s not restricted to staying within a particular
story line and, therefore, all the songs on this CD benefit
from an upgrade in that department. Here he harkens back to
his conversion as he recalls how Jesus saved him when “suffering
was nothing new/my days were few without a letdown/something
down there deep inside/dissatisfied with everything I’d find.”
A hot synthesizer solo and some spirited guitar work appear
midway through and things never get boring as the trio adds
invigorating accents and punches all the way to the grand
finale. This is no fluff piece and it’s an excellent example
of what these guys do best.***
If you’re familiar with Neal’s solo albums you know he
usually includes one or two standard-sounding tunes along
the way. The problem is that they’re imbedded within extended
movements and the average Joe never gets a chance to hear
them. On “Lifeline” Morse has presented four numbers of that
ilk as stand-alone cuts. Beautiful acoustic guitars usher
in “The Way Home,” accompanying Neal’s pristine vocals as
he discloses that one’s religious faith, no matter how strong,
doesn’t always translate into a life without dilemmas. “I
may never find that place where I feel like I belong/I know
that when I find it I’ll have known it all along/I feel like
a dark cold night that’s reaching for the dawn,” he sings.
Lush strings give the track depth and the song builds to an
emotional crest before ending quietly.***
You can’t keep these boisterous musicians caged up for
long and the brute force of “Leviathan” lets them free their
inner (sea) monsters. Ominous, scary synthesizer lines lead
to a barrage of guest Jim Hoke’s zippy Horns from Hell as
this heavy rocker blazes through an odd chord structure for
six minutes of metal fun. In the 2nd part Morse pulls up an
interesting vibraphone/steel drum effect on his keyboard to
turn your head and then Portnoy slays with his ferocious drumming
right up until the abrupt end. Don’t look for anything meaningful
in the lyrics, they just needed a platform to drive hard and
fast and a ditty about Godzilla had already been done. On
“God’s Love” Neal once again employs acoustic guitars to strum
under his soothing voice and he avoids complicating a song
that doesn’t need complications. “You promised yourself you
never would love again/and you tried hiding out but your heart
just can’t stay shut in/but there’s a love that is real/that
won’t turn on you/just reach out and you’ll feel/what He said
is true…” he assures. Morse is a master of melody and this
one will stick inside your head for weeks.***
Dense keyboard chords add color to the opening of the
powerful “Children of the Chosen,” an uplifting tune that
features a “walking” beat and a fine nylon-string acoustic
guitar ride to provide a change of pace at this point. The
words describe being a part of something glorious and not
of this world. “Aren’t you tired of the rules they made?/the
bondage on your backs they laid?/shake it off, you’ve got
liberty/there is more than we can see/God loves you and he
wants you to be free,” Morse announces. The deeply-stacked
vocals and Portnoy’s finely-tuned toms rolling during the
fadeout are highlights.***
No Neal Morse CD would be complete without at least one
large epic and “So Many Roads” doesn’t take a back seat to
any in his catalogue. It’s a six-part journey about being
unsure of which path to take in one’s life and most everyone
on the planet can relate. After a piano/vocal outset, the
central musical theme skyrockets brilliantly into the heavens
overhead before settling back into a straight-ahead tempo.
“Star for a Day” is a metal-tinged, motoring track with a
sizzling synth break in which Neal warns that, while obviously
enticing, fame is a shooting star that burns out quickly and
will ultimately drain your soul. “The Humdrum Life” is a charming,
jazzy ditty with tricky time signatures and Jim Hoke supplies
something I don’t recall hearing on a Morse album previously.
A soprano sax. It’s delicious, too. Neal speaks of the pitfalls
in taking the risk-free trail of creative denial, the safe
and unadventurous route. “Give up your silly dreams, living
life fully/come down the surest road, you can be happy/while
you work your life away…” he sings sarcastically. After a
half-time section filled with soaring guitar lines they segue
into “All the Way to the Grave,” another forceful pile-driver
of a song with tight riffs, Hammond organ growls and a bass
solo from Randy that’d make John Entwistle proud. Morse brings
up the easiest option, that of dropping out completely. “Forget
it, you can party every day/Live it up! You can be stoned
all the way…” he warbles. Things take a mellow turn at the
beginning of “The Eyes of the Savior” with its gorgeous, floating
guitars and a very effective tremolo bass effect undulating
below. It builds steadily to a magnificent chorus that completely
captivates the symphonic prog lover in me. He offers a simple
solution. “Behind door number two there is another life/one
that will satisfy more than you’ll ever know,” he sings and
I don’t have to tell you what it is. The final segment is
a big-time reprise of the epic’s opening song and it lives
up to its promise in spectacular fashion. Anyone who didn’t
know what high-quality prog rock was before will know after
experiencing this cut.***
Over the years Neal has composed many wonderful ballads
and “Fly High” is one of his most sublime. Few tunes can send
chills up my spine like this one does and it includes one
of his best phrases ever. “Give up everything you have/for
what you could never buy…” he urges. Gets me every time. I
adore the backing strings and the overall wall-of-sound production
but the eye-opening “Wow!” moment arrives when guest guitarist
Paul Bielatowicz unleashes a solo that is “GET OUTA HERE!”
amazing. I dare say there’s not a fledgling guitarist alive
that doesn’t wish he could crank out one of these babies and
my jaw still drops to the floor with every listen. Don’t miss
it. The angels themselves couldn’t have shredded any better.***
The true test of an album’s worth for me comes when, after
a dozen or so spins, I still look forward to hearing it. “Lifeline”
is one of those special albums. Is every song prog? No, but
there’s plenty of progressive ideas to indulge in and the
musicianship, arrangements and undeniable enthusiasm involved
is of the highest caliber so I have no reservation in recommending
it. It’s not a masterpiece if you go by the strict definition
but to give it any less than a five-star rating would be a
travesty. It’s that good.
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