THE NEAL MORSE BAND: THE SIMILITUDE OF A DREAM

Well, well, well. Once in a while a band makes a statement, a definitive album that people will label ''the one'' you have to own from whatever particular band. For Neal Morse / The Neal Morse Band, this album is that ''one''. I must admit, that I am an obsessive Neal Morse fan, so some may find my judgement towards Neal's work biast, however I must argue that although Neal Morse is my favourite songwriter of all time, I am able to critique his work, finding particular efforts of his (Day for Night by Spock's or his own Lifeline) rather uninspired. It's a rare thing when one makes their definitive masterwork so late into their careers, with certain sections of the progressive world acussing Neal's work of been 'repetitive' and 'safe'. In argument to that I must say that his formula is a winning one, and I for one find plenty of variation throughout all of his albums.

Largely I pay little attention to lyrics and the concept. Although aware of the narrative, it's not something I find myself judging an albums success on. The Similitude of a Dream has a solid concept, and solid lyrics to accompany. Some criticism is levelled at Neal's born again Christian beliefs and how he spells it out in his music. He does not do that in this album for those worried (as he hasn't done since Testimony 2!). The lyrics are spiritual but not preachy (personally I'd much rather listen to something positive and uplifting and find my own happiness in Neal's faith and his proclamation of that faith). Now to the music.

The album begins with a small, beautiful string section, playing the opening theme leading into a soft Neal led piece, 'Long Day'. Although short, the addition of the acoustic guitar midway through this song moves the song forward. 'Overture' follows in all it's progressive instrumental glory. In this instrumental, everything you'd expect from a fantastic overture is there. The main themes / melody ideas are introduced and moves at a swift pace. It is truly epic in every sense of the world. This is mainly thanks to Eric Gillette's singing lead towards the end, gliding effortlessly over the accompaniment to end the overture. 'The Dream' follows, a dreamy (as the name would suggest) acoustic guitar interlude with a beautiful melody in the chorus. Neal's voice is full of passion as his warm tone resonates through the mix. Lyrically, the scene is set.

Without warning, 'City of Destruction', the first single of the album, demands attention. Although this is not my ''favourite'' song, I find the middle 8 / bridge section after the final chorus to be sublime, complete with the 'ahhh' backing vocals. Goosebumps. 'We Have Got To Go', an early highlight, follows. A short acoustic melody is followed by a Neal Morse synth instrumental. It really does just put a smile across my face. In 'Makes No Sense', the catchy hook of ''makes no sense to me'' proves to be a recurring theme. In the final chorus where the chorus modulates as each vocalist takes over the phrase is splendid. Abruptly, the rockin' riff from 'Draw The Line' comes from nowhere. With Portnoy handling lot's of the vocals (sounding better than he has previously I must add) the song switches from heavy to jazzy and laid back, with a great guitar solo which Neal handles with great tone. 'The Slough', a instrumental follows on, with some Bill Hubauer keys before Eric goes all John Scofield in his guitar tone.

An absolute highlight follows in 'The Ways of a Fool'. In this piece written and sung (for the most part) by Bill, the band channel their musical idols, The Beatles and ELO stand out the most in the layering of the vocal harmonies and backing vocals. A great Gentle Giant instrumental break follows before leading to a Neal sung outro. Another favourite 'So Far Gone' comes charging in with a heavy riff. Sung by Eric, the verse and chorus are especially catchy with great performances all around (with added Portnoy cowbell!). The real treat comes however in the second part of the long, where the 'Broken Sky' theme enters sung by Bill before and 'Makes No Sense' reprise soars and takes the music to another level. 'Breath of Angels' closes disc one, a Neal ballad that builds to a climax, with a fantastic solo by Eric.

'Slave to your Mind' begins disc 2, a truly progressive song, although possibly my least favourite on the album. The melodic 'Shortcut To Salvation' is followed by 'The Man In The Iron Cage' where the band channel Led Zep, that reprises 'So Far Gone' in the middle. 'Road Called Home' which ends with a reprise of 'The Dream' in 6/8, similar to 'Reflection' from Spock's Beards Snow. Next comes 'Sloth', a captivating song where Neal's vocals resemble the movement of a sloth; a moving piece which reprises 'Long Day'. The country 'Freedom Song' is followed by 'I'm Running', where Randy George gets the spotlight with a groovy bass solo.

From this point, the experience begins drawing to a close. 'The Mask' begins with a Neal piano piece, comparable to the beginning of 'Seeds of Gold' from his own Testimony 2. The song itself expands beyond Neal's usual vocabulary, using industrial sounds to move the music forward, 'Confrontation' demands attention, re visiting themes from 'City of Destruction' and 'So Far Gone'. 'The Battle', a frantic instrumental set's up the finale...

I could write forever on this finale, so I'll try to keep it brief. My favourite thing about Neal Morse album's is his endings. The ending of his albums / epics are without exception tear jerkers. The 'Question Mark' album has long had my favourite ending ever, but with 'Broken Sky / Long Day (reprise)' that spot may be up for contention. It begins with a beautiful, soft piano melody before going into the first verse of 'Broken Sky'. Neal's vocals shimmer with raw emotion, beauty that only his voice can portray. After a standard verse /chorus x2, the middle 8 is stunning. The middle 8 revisits the ending theme from 'City of Destruction' and it's brilliant, a Goosebumps moment. This is quickly topped by Gilette's solo, that majestically soars, before going into a familiar theme. Eric then handles vocals for the final chorus of Broken Sky, as it builds and builds and builds. Themes are reprised instrumentally before the moment arrives when 'Long day' returns, with Eric on vocals. A tear jerking moment. The final theme tops it all off with Eric shredding over it, delivering the knockout blow, leaving the listener floored. It all ends with Neal signing a few lines from 'makes no sense', but now he proclaims ''it now makes sense to me'', a perfect ending to a near perfect album.

Overall, this album is a thing of beauty, an album that the Progressive world, particularly symphonic prog, has been crying out for. With the rise in modern prog, fantastic artists like Steven Wilson spear head the new progressive rock movement, leaving older bands behind. The Neal Morse Band have delivered a masterpiece: 'The Similitude of a Dream'.