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██▌ Artist...: Neal Morse ░▐██▌
░▐██ Album....: Sola Gratia ░██▌░
▓▐██ Year.....: 2020 ▓▐██▓
▓▐██ Rel.Date.: 2020-10-25 ░▐██▓
▐██ Genre....: Progressive Rock ██▌░
░ ██▌ Label....: Inside Out Music / Sony Music ██▌
▐██ Source...: CD ▐██
░▐██▌ Type.....: Album ▐██▌░
▓▄████ Quality..: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo ████▌░
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1. Preface 1:26
2. Overture 5:59
3. In the Name of the Lord 4:27
4. Ballyhoo (The Chosen Ones) 2:43
5. March of the Pharisees 1:40
6. Building a Wall 5:01
7. Sola Intermezzo 2:10
8. Overflow 6:27
9. Warmer Than the Sunshine 3:22
10. Never Change 7:52
11. Seemingly Sincere 9:34
12. The Light on the Road to Damascus 3:26
13. The Glory of the Lord 6:17
14. Now I Can See / The Great Commission 5:17
------
65:41
ôThis is my æquarantineÆ albumö says Neal Morse of his new release,
ôSola Gratiaö. That refers to the fact that for the first time in his
career, Morse didnÆt have cohorts Mike Portnoy and Randy George in the
studio with him in-person as they arranged and recorded their parts.
Instead, due to the obvious impact of COVID-19, each player recorded
their performance in their own studios with MorseÆs original songwriting
staying largely intact. The result is a ôNeal Morseö album with Morse
writing, singing and playing the majority of guitars and keyboards on
the album. While that might seem obvious, the distinction comes when an
album is attributed to ôThe Neal Morse Bandö where the material is
co-written, arranged, performed & sung by all five members of the band
including Eric Gillette and Bill Hubauer. Although Gillette and Hubauer
still have cameos on ôSola Gratiaö, their roles are as guests only. So,
while the world awaits a future Neal Morse Band album, what can one
expect from the new release under MorseÆs singular name? Morse himself
gives apt clues by comparing it to his previous solo releases ôSola
Scripturaö and ô?ö. Taking those albums into consideration, along with
last yearÆs ôJesus Christ The Exorcistö, one can have a pretty good idea
of what this new album is going to sound like. For the faithful, that
can only come as good news.
Embarking upon a new concept around the Apostle Paul û particularly his
transformation from being a persecutor of early Christians to
experiencing his own vision of the ascended Jesus and his subsequent
conversion û Morse finds ample material for an intriguing story-line to
fuel his prog explorations. As with many of his previous solo albums
including the epic ôJCTEö (see our extensive review here), the material
is obviously Christian-centric at its core and thus may turn off some
potential listeners, but when listened to as a story line at face value
there really is nothing to get worked up about regardless of the
listenerÆs personal beliefs. The title, which is Latin for ôgrace
alone,ö also appears to hearken back to the ôSola Scripturaö lyric, ôàa
man by candlelight reads, the just shall live by faithàö which is the
catalyst for many of LutherÆs actions told in such album. This a
coherent concept record with plenty of musical muscle and what could be
more ôprogö than that? The bulk of the album traces SaulÆs (PaulÆs)
fixation on the error of ChristiansÆ faith in Jesus, reveling in his own
hubris and excess, and only at the finale does he experience the miracle
of salvation while on the road to Damascus as he intends to ôwipe them
out once and for allö. This is very familiar terrain for Morse to use as
songwriting inspiration: initial arrogance and confusion, ultimately
leading to a breakthrough of redemption which is musically translated
via a sweeping closing epic. Thus, while weÆre inherently not going to
be scoring high marks for originality, the real test is going to be: how
strong is the material?
LetÆs take an unconventional approach and begin with the second half of
the album first. Conveniently demarcated by a short instrumental
intermission piece entitled ôSola Intermezzoö, the latter seven songs on
the album overall are longer in length and stronger in content than the
first seven songs, so letÆs go for the gold first. The ballad ôOverflowö
is one of MorseÆs best, spaciously delivered with emotive vocals,
deliciously delicate brush drum fills from Portnoy, and a short but
moving guitar solo. The repeating refrain from a choir of female vocals
leads to a meditative ecstasy which is so hypnotic that it could have
continued several more minutes. Simply gorgeous. As good as that one is,
ôNever Changeö is even better: a moody eight-minute Floyd-tinged high
point that features some of MorseÆs best vocal and guitar delivery
anywhere. As blessed as the Neal Morse Band is to have Eric GilletteÆs
blazing guitar featured, itÆs always rewarding to make room for MorseÆs
own tone and feeling being channeled through the six strings and in
ôNever Changeö he triumphantly delivers. The bombastic vocal finale of
the song will surely be a highlight when the song is performed live at
Morsefest 2020 this September.
The album continues from strength to strength with ôSeemingly Sincereö,
dealing with the adamant faith of Stephen which gives Paul pause as he
sees the conviction in StephenÆs eyes even as he is stoned to death. The
nine-minute piece takes its time to build over a bed of electronic
loops, an unusual sonic element for Morse. Ultimately the guitars and
GeorgeÆs bass take off in typical fashion, but itÆs a good five minutes
to get there which is a refreshing change of pace. Throwing in a
minute-long synth solo which leads to a featured drum section from
Portnoy, then culminating with a return to the powerful chorus, this is
yet another killer track.
The transformation (aka the ôconversionö) is yet to come. We all know
itÆs coming. How else could a Neal Morse album end? The inevitable grand
finale is just waiting to be revealed, replete with a grand choir as the
heavens break open, sunlight streaming down through the clouds and there
is Morse at his keyboards, playing his heart out through a glorious epic
chorus that brings it all together. In the case of ôSola Gratiaö, this
finale is the medley of ôThe Glory of the Lordö (no musical relation to
the short piece of the same name on the ô?ö album) and ôNow I Can
See/The Great Commissionö that brings heaven down to earth, complete
with a lengthy, polished Gillette guitar hero appearance. And was that
even another ôCome on!ö exclamation from Morse during his ecstatic
revelation? Of course it was. While it may not reach the emotional highs
of ôBroken Skyö or ôA Love That Never Diesö, itÆs still a very
well-arranged and impactful finale. Strangely however, the moment of
PaulÆs conversion itself û which one would think would be the climax of
the album û isnÆt clearly punctuated musically. ItÆs probably in the
middle of a short piece called ôThe Light on the Road to Damascusö, but
the problem with having so many bombastic moments throughout an album is
how to make this one extra special and not just blend in with all the
others? ItÆs not a big deal, but it kind of feels like Morse has buried
the lead. On a more positive note, as a bittersweet sendoff, one of the
best vocal melodies has been saved for JesusÆ final words to Paul in a
heartbreaking melody: ôArise, go into all the world, I will be with you,
I will be with you.ö The album then concludes with a minute of MorseÆs
most tender solo piano playing, an evocative way to close this ôSola
Gratiaö.
If the album closes in typical but satisfying Morse fashion, it opens in
a similar way. A brief acoustic prelude gives way to an engagingàyou
guessed itàöOvertureö. (As one cheeky listener recently queried: ôIf you
ask æAlexa, play æOvertureÆ by Neal Morse,Æ what happens?? System
Meltdown??ö) Despite the repetition of form and title, itÆs a delicious
six minutes of Morse/George/Portnoy doing what they do best:
instrumental proggy overload of one theme after another. And as usual,
once the listener digests all of the musical sections through repeat
listening, it can become a favorite part of the album. The first single
then follows, ôIn the Name of the Lordö, a satisfying rocker that smells
of (and hints of) some of the hard-hitting tracks from the recent
PilgrimÆs Progress albums. Featuring a devastating chorus and edgy
performance, it certainly harkens back to the aggression of ôSola
Scripturaö, in addition to the refrain of ôIn the name of God you must
dieö at the end. Unfortunately, subsequent tracks like ôBallyhooö and
ôBuilding a Wallö feel too much in the vein of the ôJesus Christ the
Exorcistö album and while the latter in particular isnÆt a bad song
(featuring Neal Morse on drums!), they take some steam out of the
albumÆs arc of forging its own unique identity.
Stylistically, Morse is obviously keen to link his two ôSolaö albums
together through repeated musical motifs in what will perhaps become an
ongoing series (there were five Solas that were kind of the ôbattle cryö
of the Reformers during Martin LutherÆs day, so a ôSola Fideö album
might be next if Neal decides to continue on this theme). There are
several overt quotes from Scriptura here, and even the chord progression
of ôNever ChangeöÆs chorus has similarities to the progression of ôUpon
the Doorö. However, while ôSola ScripturaöÆs track listing chose to have
three lengthy epic tracks with six ôsectionsö each, ôSola Gratiaö
decides to go with fourteen total shorter tracks. Several of these are
brief and flow one into another, so it would have been easy to bunch
some of these into longer epic pieces. Semantics perhaps, but itÆs
interesting how Morse (usually with the guidance of Portnoy) chooses to
present his material.
In conclusion, ôSola GratiaöÆs strengths lay in its top shelf
performances from George, Portnoy and Morse, a healthy dose of quality
material, and of course its pristine production thanks once again to
Rich Mouser. Still, aside from a couple of new sonic explorations, most
all of the album is straight from the Neal Morse playbook, so fans will
pretty much know exactly what theyÆre getting and long-standing critics
will not be wooÆd in. Morse and his band have set the bar high with the
previous onslaught of double albums which can be somewhat of a setup at
this point. How to top those? Ultimately, this album can sit comfortably
alongside the aforementioned ô?ö and ôScripturaö, but it is up to the
listener whether or not ôGratiaö matches the heights of those albums.
Still, this new recording has a lot going for it, even (or especially)
for a ôquarantine albumö.
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