Question has some songs that just completely blow me away. I wish his output was a little more even.
Neal Morse needs an editor more than any other artist I can think of. Just because a CD
can be 80 minutes long doesn't mean that it
should be. I get the impression that the other guys in Spock's Beard had a hand in making sure that the Beard albums Neal wrote were nice and tight (with the obvious exception of
Snow, which kind of gets a pass because it's clearly their stab at making
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway), but when left to his own devices, Neal has consistently produced albums that are bloated and meandering. (It doesn't help that his sounding board these days, Mike Portnoy, is another serial offender in this regard). The exception to this is
?, which clocks in at a lean 56:20. And for my money, it's his best solo album. Coincidence? I think not.
It would also help if his albums had a little more instrumental flavor. Another thing that sets
? apart from Neal's other solo albums is that he brought in some awesome guitarists and let them do their thing. Roine Stolt, in particular, kills it on that album. Neal's a really talented songwriter and musician, but his albums tend to feel a bit samey because there's no real band dynamic or standout instrumentalist. Alan Morse isn't the greatest guitarist of all time, but at least his playing has personality; the same is true of Ryo on the keyboards. On great expanses of Neal's solo albums, nothing about the music has any personality; even Portnoy's playing is blunted to an extent. I'm anxious to hear this Flying Colors album because Steve Morse and Dave LaRue both have the ability to supply this spark.