CD Review: Neal Morse - Live

When Neal Morse left Spock's Beard, the band he had formed 20 years earlier with his brother Alan, after the 2002 release of the album Snow, prog-rock fans wondered what the popular musician was going to do next. Morse had become a born again Christian and, in a 2003 interview with this writer, he was clearly conflicted not only as to what his next move would be, but he also showed doubt about where his faith would take him.

It's an old adage, to be sure, but the Lord does help those that help themselves, and Morse and Spock's Beard have both done well since parting company. For Morse, he found refuge in his music, bringing the same enormous talent, creativity and intellect to his newfound musical direction as he did when writing and performing with Spock's Beard. Since the split, Morse has continued his participation in the prog-rock supergroup Transatlantic with Dream Theatre's Mike Portnoy, Pete Trewavas of Marillion and the Flower Kings' Roine Stolt, releasing two live albums culled from American and European performances.

More importantly, however, Morse has recorded four solo albums in as many years, developing his voice as a Christian rock artist, expanding his musical palette beyond traditional prog-rock to incorporate elements of folk, jazz and classical music in a soundtrack to his lyrically intricate compositions. Testimony, from 2003, was Morse's first album after leaving the band, and it deals with his pre-and-post-Christian life from a unique perspective. The following year's One was a self-assured concept album, while the provocatively-named ? ("question mark") matches Morse's journey of self-discovery with his most fascinating music to date. The controversial Sola Scriptura, from early in 2007, tackles difficult lyrical material (Martin Luther and the reformation), featuring an ambitious musical signature.

Fans have long clamored for a live album from Morse that features his solo material, and the artist has responded with the electric, invigorating ? Live. Recorded in Berlin in July 2006, the first disc of this two-CD set recreates the ? album in its entirety. Backed by a talented group of European musicians (instead of the prog superstars that typically populate his albums), Morse puts them all through their paces with a spirited and spiritual performance.

"The Temple of the Living God" opens with swelling piano and haunting guitar before spiraling into a multi-layered, cacophonic blend of manic keyboard fills, urgent guitar lines and grand themes. "The Outsider" is a succinct interlude with sparse instrumentation and elegant beauty while "Into The Fire" displays the fervor of a tent revival with scorching guitar and keyboards. "Solid As The Sun" has a jazzy, almost New Orleans-styled Professor Longhair feel to its undercurrent, with metallic guitar riffs scraping across the vocals.

The second disc of ? Live features tracks from Morse's album One - nearly three-quarters of the album, actually - and includes the first tentative onstage performance of Morse's son Wil on the moody "The Man's Gone." The lengthy "The Creation" is a veritable symphony, Morse's passionate vocals backed by lush instrumentation and interesting melodic flights of fancy. Though some may beg to differ, the song is symbolic of what is good and entertaining about progressive rock, crossing stylistic borders with rapidly-changing timing, contagious rhythms, keyboard wizardry, tastefully fluid guitar leads, and powerful performances all around.

? Live closes with an eighteen-minute encore medley of material, including Transatlantic's wonderful, folkish "We All Need Some Light" along with "Open Wide The Flood Gates," Solitary Soul" and "Wind At My Back" from the underrated Spock's Beard album Snow. In many ways, the clues were there on Snow, signaling Morse's fascination with messianic themes and subsequent approach to his solo work. Taken as a whole, ? Live provides an entertaining and eye-opening 77-minutes of quality listening, where the strength of the music may well be overshadowed by the power of the message.

Prog-rock fans who have shied away from Neal Morse's solo work in fear of his Christian leanings should reconsider. Much as he did with Spock's Beard, Morse is creating vital, imaginative and important music, using his talents to stretch the conservative barriers of both progressive rock and Contemporary Christian music. Morse may not have found the CCM success and acceptance that he desires - yet - but there's no doubt in this humble scribe's mind that, at some point in the future, as long as Morse continues to create challenging, magnificent music as he has on ? Live and his post-conversion solo albums, his influence on Christian music and thought will be profound. And, his stuff rocks!