I sort of hear you. Musically, it's dissimilar to contemporary Christian music, but lyrically and thematically, it's almost identical...
I want to say that Neal Morse's best songs are the ones about conflict and inner struggle. We see that all over both Testimonies, One, and Sola Scriptura (don't know about ?). Some of my favorite songs are the more depressing ones, like Somber Days, All I Can Do, Jesus Bring Me Home, and Cradle to the Grave. Heck, I even like the happy upbeat ones if they are well-placed, like Oh Lord My God and Sing It High.
But Lifeline's problem is that it is pretty much all positive*. That's inherently fine, I guess, but it just doesn't make for a very interesting album.
*Except for Leviathan, which I don't even count as music.