Since 1992 guitarist Alan Morse has been a member of Spock's Beard, also the only constant member and he is of course the brother of co-founder Neal Morse. Alan Morse's debut solo album Four O'Clock And Hysteria was released in 2007, and now almost twenty years later Morse released his second solo album called So Many Words. Morse's debut solo album was instrumental, but on So Many Words, Alan does most of the lead vocals and to be honest I cannot get used to his rather "unusual" voice, which sounds grungy and nagging. However, guest singers like Ted Leonard (It's Never Enough) and Neal Morse (Shadow Of The Sun) come to the rescue, while Morse is also assisted by guest musicians Nick D'Virgillio, Simon Phillips and Tony Levin. Most of the compositions on So Many Words are rather "simple" and not really diverse or original; take for example the opening track Every day Is Insane, which to me is just a mediocre, run of the mill pop/prog song indeed. The ballad I Don't Want To Travel If It Takes Forever, which was co-written by his older brother, is a track that I seemed to have heard before. In other words, most of the song material on So Many Words is guitar-based rock, pop, and blues; however, the guitar solos of Morse in songs like This Is Who We Are or And It's Time, are more than excellent indeed! The Bass Solo track however is really superfluous and dull and I really do not know why Morse recorded this track for his new album...... Make Me Real Again is a fine rocker and Making Up My Heart, the longest track of the album, is the highlight of So Many Words for sure, as this mid-tempo proggy song features a truly wonderful guitar solo. Overall, you could say that So Many Words features music in the veins of Spock's Beard, but definitely much lighter and more simple and less versatile. Listening tip: It's Never Enough. ***+ Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
