ONE

Okay, I admit that my opinion of this album might be biased because I am a Christian, but I also happen to have an appreciation for good music (symphonic prog in particular). I was listening to and enjoying Spock's Beard when I was still an atheist, but I was stupid enough to pay attention to magazines like Classic Rock who very subtly implied that Neal Morse "went crazy" and became a Bible-bashing God-botherer - and that his music suffered because of it. I even stayed away from Spock's Beard's "Snow" album because reviews noted that it had some overtly Christian overtones to it and the music was "preachy" and "sentimental mush". Then in a totally-unrelated-to-prog series of events, I became a Christian and decided to finally check out Neal Morse solo (Snow too, which is a modern classic). MAN, HAVE I BEEN MISSING OUT! Of the three Neal Morse prog-oriented solo records (Testimony, One, ?), this one is the best by a slight margin. It is also probably the best thing Morse has ever done.

"One" is a semi-concept album about the relationship between God and man: how they "met", how they fought, how they "broke up", how they were happy together and sad together etc. I respect the fact that this is not a religious website, and so I will not discuss the message of the album. I would, however, encourage anyone reading this to find the lyrics on nealmorse.com and approach it with an open heart and mind.

The immense talent of Mike Portnoy on drums and Randy George on bass was obtained for this album. Some drumming experts (i.e. anyone but me) have cited this album as the perfect showcase of Portnoy's skill. Other Neal Morse-related albums this "One" can best be compared to are Transatlantic's "Bridge Across Forever", Spock's Beard "Snow" and "Testimony". If you've heard none of these, I will now try to describe the songs as vividly and honestly as I can:

The Creation (18:23) - the first 90 seconds of this epic is so achingly gorgeous that I almost don't want to try and convey it with words for fear of not doing it justice. It is entirely symphonic - no guitars, bass or drums: just an orchestrated flurry of bombast that would make Richard Wagner seethe with envy. The album's main theme is introduced at 00:58, and what a theme it is! It conjures up feelings of joy, sorrow, confusion and hope all at once. This theme will pop up in different places and in different guises thoughout the album. After this grand opening, Portnoy, George and Morse deliver the goods in a constantly evolving instrumental "overture" featuring George's bass executing a perfect balancing act on the rigid tightrope of Portnoy's drumming. The rapid-fire synth at 02.24, in particular, always manages to make me sit up and abandon whatever else I'm doing to just listen for a second. The vocals enter, engorged with melody, at 03:58, and the catchy "chorus" of "We were of one mind. fellowship divine!" is guaranteed to bait even the most bloated of dirge-metal whales. From there the song goes to many destinations (all beautiful with excellent views). A "Firth of Fifth"-esque piano bit reprises the main theme at 06.50; booming cellos and shrieking violins join in at 10.30, and at 14.35 Neal hams up the vocals for the "Why!!!?? Why are you hiding!!!???" section most effectively. Part IV ("Reaching From The Heart") begins at 16.00 and concludes the epic with that soaring, pompous, emotionally charged atmosphere which Neal practically wrote the book on. Bottom line: this piece packs more tunes and musical expertise into 18 minutes than even some prog bands can fit into an entire album. And we're only 25% through the album! (10/10)

The Man's Gone (02:51) - the original demo of this was much longer, but Neal decided to rewrite a condensed version of it to act as a bridge between the two longer pieces. This is largely guitar and vocals. Neal's vocals are kitten-soft and calm, almost as if he's telling you a secret. Most of this song is reprised in "The Seperated Man" later on. Even though this is obviously not a complete song in the Neal Morse sense of the word, to skip it or pass it off as filler would be very foolish. (8/10)

Author of Confusion (09:31) - Before you've even prepared yourself, this song hits you with a heavy cascading riff that really is unlike any other one heard previously on Neal Morse or TA or SB albums. This is more like recent King Crimson records than anything else. The riff thunders along impressively until it slows down at 01.40 only to be joined by wailing keyboards. This section (from 01.40 to 03.15) really sounds like the tape has been slowed down or stretched or something. At 03.15 it speeds up again for a very ELP-esque section (minus the guitars, of course) until the good ol' Gentle Giant a capella vocal section so beloved by Neal Morse kicks off at 04.00. This particular vocal arrangement is one of his best yet. I think I can count 7 voices singing at the same time, but I might be wrong and I don't want to risk suffering mental collapse by trying to count them again. From here, the song shifts from ethereal, dreamy parts to reprises of the a capella vocals and the heavy section from the beginning of the song. As some have said, the instrumental parts of the song have a lot in common with Dream Theater. This is always a good thing. (9/10)

The Separated Man (17:59) - the album's other epic starts off with the "I'm In A Cage" section (Genesis might have contacted their lawyers.), which is very catchy and Spock's Beard-y (think "Strange World") until 02.54 when one of my favourite moments of the album arrives: Neal sings "There's a reason why the storm is raging." etc over the greatest melody and with so much power in his vocals! After this, the album's main theme is played again and it leads into the "I Am The Man" section, a slow-burning Middle Eastern-flavoured piece with excellent menacing vocals by Neal. At about 09.28, a predominantly acoustic section starts in which "The Man's Gone" is reprised and guest guitarist Phil Keaggy joins in for a rip-roaring guitar joust reminiscent of "Sing It High" from Testimony. Electric guitars return at 14:23, "The Man's Gone" is reprised once again and the final section of the epic, the poignant "Something Within Me Remembers", finishes it off with aplomb. Slightly inferior to "The Creation", but still a towering piece of genius. (10/10)

Cradle To The Grave (04:56) - this and "Father of Forgiveness" are the "odd ones out" of the album, as they are, in all honesty, not really prog songs, their melodies are not part of the recurring themes of the album and they are largely piano-based. These are also the songs which might appeal more to non-prog fans of Neal's music who find the epics too intimidating. I actually think these songs received some airplay on Christian radio stations in the USA. That said, this particular song is a thing of beauty. It's a duet between Neal and Phil Keaggy, with Neal playing the part of the "Man" and Phil taking on God (I know that sounds bad, but you know what I mean.). Their vocals intertwine so skillfully and to great effect. It sounds a lot like Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young with a modern twist. Phil's voice, in particular, is a wonderful instrument: sort of like Neil Young meets George Harrison. I won't lie to you: this is a Christian ballad. But don't let that put you off, please. (10/10)

Help Me/Spirit and The Flesh (11:15) - this one starts off with upbeat piano sort of like the "Senor Velasco" section from Spock's Beard "The Light". Consequently it has a notable Spanish flavour to it, something which is enhanced by the flamenco guitar solo at 03.24. But it's the "chorus" of this section at 01.40 which packs the meanest punch: think 80's stadium rock like Journey's "Separate Ways". It comes on like an absolute tidal wave! At about 05.30 the "Spirit and The Flesh" half of the song begins, and it is just an electrifying journey from start to finish. It employs the "We were of one mind." melody from "The Creation" and just swells with intensity with every minute. (10/10)

Father of Forgiveness (05.48) - As mentioned earlier, this song is not traditional prog and could easily be played on some of the more open-minded Christian radio stations. I can compare it's structure to something like Elton John's "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", if that helps (and remember that Dream Theater covered Elton John so he's cool). Very emotional as always; almost uncomfortably so. (8/10)

Reunion (09:12) - What a finale! The first section, "No Separation", is horn-drenched and jubilant. Much has been said about the Beatles influence of this track. And it's all true! Particularly the final few minutes of "Abbey Road" side 2 is an obvious influence. But Mike Portnoy out-Ringos Ringo by a few hundred miles on the drumkit, most notably at 03.48 where he just OWNS the song! This frenetic section leads into "Make Us One", a multi-layered, blissful denouement built on the melody of the main theme. (10/10)

Classic Rock Magazine gave this album a 2/5 rating, claiming that while the album itself is good, the subject matter will render it inaccessible to many. Hardly anybody says that about any Yes album!

My advice is to buy this album because it is an excellent symphonic prog rock album. My hope is that it becomes something more than that for you.

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