Classic Rock Start Page Album Review
NEAL MORSE - One
1. The Creation 18:23
I) One Mind
II) In A Perfect Light
III) Where Are You?
IV) Reaching From The Heart
2. The Man's Gone 2:51
3. Author Of Confusion 9:31
4. The Separated Man 17:59
I) I'm In A Cage
II) I Am The Man
III) The Man's Gone (Reprise)
IV) Something Within Me Remembers
5. Cradle To The Grave 4:56
6. Help Me/The Spirit And The Flesh 11:14
7. Father Of Forgiveness 5:47
8. Reunion 9:11
I) No Separation
II) Grand Finale
III) Make Us One
© 2004 InsideOut Music
Neal Morse e-mail: nealmorse@nealmorse.com
Neal Morse website: www.nealmorse.com
When Neal Morse decided that his bandlife could no longer stroke with his personal feelings about his credence, he left the highly successfull progrockbands Spock's Beard and Transatlantic. You could say that musically he went on where he had stopped as a bandmember, but only the lyrics were different now. "Testimony", his first solo-album, announce us those events bringing Morse to Christianity, in other words: his own story. One year after "Testimony" he pleases us with the follow-up "One". This album tells us the history of mankind, and again musically it's a real masterpiece! For those who aren't familiar with the word of God, feel no shame! Just listen to the music and enjoy this fenomenal conceptalbum! Go back to the symphonic rock of the 70's!
Neal Morse plays most of the instruments himself, but he also got additional help from two extremely good musicians: superdrummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) and tour bassist Randy George. And in some of the songs guitarist Phil Keaggy takes a part of the music.
In "The Creation", an 18 minute 4 part-song, Morse opens the album almost like an overture: bombastic, with choirs, great synth-, piano- and organwork, crystal clear singing..., everything's present.
"The Man's Gone" brings you in easier moods, an acoustic song that prepares you for the next one:
"Author Of Confusion", that really rocks your speakers out of your room! Damn, what a power! An almost un-Morse-song, but then again with surprising parts in it: a real cool organ-solo that passes into difficult (close) harmony-vocals, taking over by an easy part on Fender Rhodes, again going to rock with the difficult vocals-part, and finishing the song in a Frank Zappa-like ending. Great!
"The Separated Man", another long song (almost 18 minutes/4 parts) brings in an eastern-like theme, with great guitarwork in it. And with a folklike part in "The Man's Gone (Reprise)" with a violin in it the song really shines in diversity. Also listen to the magnificent drumwork of Portnoy! One of my favourites!
"Cradle To The Grave" is another easy song, a fine intermezzo between the progrock-songs.
"Help Me/The Spirit And The Flesh" begins rather easy. "Help Me" is an uptempo-part that walks into the bombastic part of "The Spirit And The Flesh". The theme of that part, already heard in "The Creation", is beautiful.
Brings us to the third ballad on the album, "Father Of Forgiveness", which sounds like a gospel in a progrock-cover. Beautifully arranged with nice strings!!
The last song on this album, "Reunion" in 3 parts, begins with a cheerful opening, larded with a horn-section which powers up the song. Some jazz-breaks come with great drumwork, going into a themes earlier heard on the album. A worthy end of a sublime Neal Morse-album, which can't be absent in your CD-collection!
Neal Morse has delivered an album of high quality, no doubt about that! With a diversity of musicstyles played by superb musicians, "One" reaches high in the sky. I think it'll be difficult for Morse to equal this album, but it always has been a surprise where the inspiration came from to again write new and refreshing songs. But I assume it is something you easily can leave to Neal Morse. Yes, this album is one of my favourites!!
Review by: Clemens Steenweg, November 2004