Neal Morse
Songs From November

This is a man with more talent that almost anyone in the rock and metal business, his progressive rock skills are legendary and his ability to make great melodies is praised by many. At the same time it is a man with billions of albums released and despite having so much music out there you can still count his great works on the fingers of one hand, even if that hand is missing fingers. I think V by Spock’s Beard was brilliant, since then the man has found religion and have to sing about it at every opportunity. So we get music with lunacy for lyrics, I mean christians are no better or more right than muslims, jews, hindus, or whatever religion you can think of. His music often tend to take the shape of revival meetings, something that at least makes my stomach turn and I want to put some distance between me and it. But of course if the music had been good it would have been another matter and with this guys voice and instrumental capabilities he should only make good stuff but he does not.

This time it is said that he makes ”his bravest outing to date. Musically, creatively, and production-wise, it’s like nothing he’s ever done. Can you handle it?! It’s an album of "normal" songs! Songs even your friends might like!” which means that by taking inspiration from singer-songwriter stuff he takes away all that is speedy, grande and progressive in his music but it still sounds exactly like the stuff he has been putting out for the last decade or so. Good sound and production, he sings well, mainly acoustic focus on the songs and the eleven songs sounds very similar through the entire 48 minutes of playing time. I have been listening to this album for a dozen or so times now and even an extra time after I read the press info, I can’t see what is different. It sounds like another Neal Morse album but a bit less elaborate, still with that touch of revival meeting and some christian rubbish in the lyrics.

It is hard to say that this album sucks because it is well made and performed in every regard, but the songs… the songs are so boring that watching paint dry is a better way to spend your time. One song isn’t boring as hell, Daddy’s Daughter which is a very good song and one that I like, but the rest of the album… is fucking boring as something that came from the fires of hell. Satan seems to have made his part on this album, maybe Neal is actually the horned one from the crimson fires of the circles of hell? Let me just make it clear that this album is alright in many regards, the lyrics are sometimes horrifying but is easily enough ignored. The real problem is that it has nothing that makes anyone want to listen, it is simply boring, well made boring.

So what is wrong with this guy? besides being a lunatic religious fanatic who has to shove down his religion down anyone’s throat? I don’t know but he seems to be completely unable to make good of his apparent talent, Transatlantic and Neal Morse albums are the same, well produced, well arranged and well performed pieces of sleeping aid. I had to run through several caffein pills just to stay awake for the entire album.

Enough complaining you say. Sure, I can just say that this album is for those of you who have too much time on your hands and want to spend that time doing something completely meaningless. Those of you who want to do something meaningful with your life can vacuum your home, polish the engine of your car with a toothbrush or something else similar to that as that is definitely more fun than listening to this album. On a side note: I can say that there is one good track on it, and that he is a real waste of talent Neal Morse being an excellent musician incapable of producing anything worthwhile.

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