Official Neal Morse Appreciation Thread

[Stadler]

I find Eric's voice dull and kind of annoying.
He's a very skilled guitarist, but I don't think he has a lot of personality.

Roine, easily.

Oddly, I'm looking forward to the shows to see who sings what.  I love Bill's voice (as a seasoning to the main voices) but there are times when I'm not sure if it's Eric or Neal singing.   It doesn't matter to me, other than curiosity, but still.

Between the two bands - NMB and Transatlantic - I rate the singers (I'm assuming Randy doesn't sing):

Neal
Eric
Bill
Mike
Roine

Before anyone comments, I left Pete off because I was rating the SINGERS.   

[ErHaO]

I find Eric's voice dull and kind of annoying.
He's a very skilled guitarist, but I don't think he has a lot of personality.

Roine, easily.

Oddly, I'm looking forward to the shows to see who sings what.  I love Bill's voice (as a seasoning to the main voices) but there are times when I'm not sure if it's Eric or Neal singing.   It doesn't matter to me, other than curiosity, but still.

Between the two bands - NMB and Transatlantic - I rate the singers (I'm assuming Randy doesn't sing):

Neal
Eric
Bill
Mike
Roine

Before anyone comments, I left Pete off because I was rating the SINGERS.   

I agree with that order overall.

On The Absolute Universe I do think Pete gets to sing nicer melodies, which is why I prefer him to Roine on that album specifically.

But as much as I enjoy The Absolute Universe, I think I&D is vocally far superior and more diverse. And that is in a large part because of Eric and Bill's capabilities.

[goo-goo]

I find Eric's voice dull and kind of annoying.
He's a very skilled guitarist, but I don't think he has a lot of personality.

Roine, easily.

I can tell you Eric has made a HUGE leap singing. If you compare his last solo album that was released a few years ago versus how he sang in this latest NMB effort, there's a tremendous progress. I'm actually starting to like his singing. 

[bosk1]

I guess I could rank the vocals, but I don't really see the point.  And I kind of get tied in knots about what criteria to use.  For instance, I LOVE all the vocal parts from Bill, Mike, and Pete.  Love them.  Not one criticism.  But then again, they are used sparingly, and if they had many more vocal parts, I would likely feel like they were used too much and would rate them lower.  I dunno.  In any case, I'm just glad they all sing.  They all sound great to me.  But of all the singers listed, I would have to say that Roine was the hardest for me to get into.  He has a very quirky and "different" timbre and singing style, and it took me a bit to appreciate it.

[Trav86]

Yeah, I’ve never really been able to get into The Flower Kings, so my only experience with Roine’s vocals is Transatlantic. I like them, especially as a counterpart to Neal’s. Now, I don’t know if I’d like a whole album of just Roine singing. But it works with Transatlantic. And Mike and Pete’s vocals are great the way they compliment the lead singers.
I feel the same way about Bill’s vocals. They’re a great compliment to the main leads. As for Eric, I think he’s great. Especially on the new one.

[Stadler]

I guess I could rank the vocals, but I don't really see the point.  And I kind of get tied in knots about what criteria to use.  For instance, I LOVE all the vocal parts from Bill, Mike, and Pete.  Love them.  Not one criticism.  But then again, they are used sparingly, and if they had many more vocal parts, I would likely feel like they were used too much and would rate them lower.  I dunno.  In any case, I'm just glad they all sing.  They all sound great to me.  But of all the singers listed, I would have to say that Roine was the hardest for me to get into.  He has a very quirky and "different" timbre and singing style, and it took me a bit to appreciate it.

I'm with you, Bosk, because for me, the various singers are like seasoning, to be used where appropriate.  You'd never just "eat" five spice, after all. 

But I used what I consider technical ability.   I think Bill sounds like Peter Gabriel, and when he goes for a note, he seems to hit it.  I don't really care for Roine's timbre much, but when he goes for a note, he seems to hit it.  There are times when Pete is not only nasally and reedy, which I could look past, but he seems "flat" (i.e. not in tune/not sharp) when he sings and that is annoying.  I hardly ever say "wow, that tone is off" when listening to a singer - I like Gary Barden for gosh sakes, so I'm easy - but I DO sometimes, with Pete, say "wow, he's out of tune".   Even Mike, who doesn't have a ton of range, and whose inflections I don't always like, is usually, most often in tune.

[bosk1]

I will say this about vocals though, and this will likely be somewhat controversial:  As much as I love Neal's vocals, he almost ruins Solitude for me.  The first part of that song with Pete singing and the melancholy vibe is the highlight of both of the TAU albums for me and is pretty much flawless.  When Neal comes in and the tone of the song suddenly turns very positive and upbeat, it practically makes me angry how badly it spoils the vibe.

EDIT:  I've not heard any of the vocalists mentioned ever flat or out of tune on a studio release.  (On official live releases, ironically, I think Pete is the ONLY one I have heard NOT be flat or out of tune, although none of them have been to any great degree)

[HOF]

Roine has a really nice kind of smoky, soulful voice. He’s not a great technical singer, but it’s effective in more of a singer/songwriter sense. He rarely does all the vocals on any of his albums, and the ones where he does feature lots of instrumental songs/passages. I appreciate that he knows his limitations and usually finds a better technical singer for the more challenging vocal parts.

BUT, go check out the last section of The Flower Kings’ Garden of Dreams and you’ll hear him technically failing but sounding amazing at the same time. That vocal is incredibly effective there.

[hefdaddy42]

The only thing I can say about vocals in the two bands is that I think that Pete and Mike should stick to background vocals.  I don't think the timbre of either of their voices are ideal for singing lead.

Other than that, I have no problems with any of the rest of their voices, and don't feel the need to rank them.

[Dedalus]

I find Eric's voice dull and kind of annoying.
He's a very skilled guitarist, but I don't think he has a lot of personality.

Roine, easily.

Oddly, I'm looking forward to the shows to see who sings what.  I love Bill's voice (as a seasoning to the main voices) but there are times when I'm not sure if it's Eric or Neal singing.   It doesn't matter to me, other than curiosity, but still.

Between the two bands - NMB and Transatlantic - I rate the singers (I'm assuming Randy doesn't sing):

Neal
Eric
Bill
Mike
Roine

Before anyone comments, I left Pete off because I was rating the SINGERS.   

So what MP does on your list? 

I find Eric's voice dull and kind of annoying.
He's a very skilled guitarist, but I don't think he has a lot of personality.

Roine, easily.

I can tell you Eric has made a HUGE leap singing. If you compare his last solo album that was released a few years ago versus how he sang in this latest NMB effort, there's a tremendous progress. I'm actually starting to like his singing. 

I didn't listen to the record, but I heard the singles. I still have the same opinion. I don't like his vocals.

[Kram]

I find Eric's voice dull and kind of annoying.
He's a very skilled guitarist, but I don't think he has a lot of personality.

Roine, easily.

Oddly, I'm looking forward to the shows to see who sings what.  I love Bill's voice (as a seasoning to the main voices) but there are times when I'm not sure if it's Eric or Neal singing.   It doesn't matter to me, other than curiosity, but still.

Between the two bands - NMB and Transatlantic - I rate the singers (I'm assuming Randy doesn't sing):

Neal
Eric
Bill
Mike
Roine

Before anyone comments, I left Pete off because I was rating the SINGERS.   

I'm sorry but Roine is a better singer than Mike.  Not that he's a great singer by any means, but Mike is pretty bad IMO.  Now I will give him credit and say his singing has improved from the DT days, but it's still pretty bad if you ask me.

[Kram]

The only thing I can say about vocals in the two bands is that I think that Pete and Mike should stick to background vocals.  I don't think the timbre of either of their voices are ideal for singing lead.

Other than that, I have no problems with any of the rest of their voices, and don't feel the need to rank them.

I agree 100%

[bosk1]

The only thing I can say about vocals in the two bands is that I think that Pete and Mike should stick to background vocals.  I don't think the timbre of either of their voices are ideal for singing lead.

I'll disagree.  Their lead vocals are often album highlights for me.  But I will again note that they are used sparingly, and I might not feel that way if they had more leads than they do.

[ytserush]

Still haven't received from Radiant! LAST TIME EVER!

I emailed them (Amy, I guess) last Thursday, asking if my order had shipped, but still no response.

-Marc.

Never had a problem in more than 20 years from Radiant but this is the first time I've been dealing with crickets since last week. I don't care if it's shipping late (Ida might have had something to do with it.) but an acknowledgement that they have my order would be nice.

A friend of mine brought it over for a listen last weekend and it sounded OK but it's not my optimal listening experience so I can't really judge it on that. My friend loves it and think it might be the best thing he's ever done. I guess we'll see.

[ytserush]

I get why people dislike the sound of Bill's voice, but I think the man can sing. He uses a good range of notes, does some solid vocal runs here and there and he works really well with harmonies. I don't think it is comparable to Pete from Transatlantic (and probably a controversial opinion: I think Roine is the weakest vocal link on their latest album).

And talking about vocals, I think Neal pulls of some great parts. I agree he sounds a bit older/weaker (not even remotely close to sounding bad, mind you), but he pulls off some nice parts on this album.

I don't either. In fact I don't have a problem with anyone in that band singing. It's part of why I like them so much.

[ytserush]

Not trying to absolve him of blame, but Neal seems pretty hands-off with Radiant, so it makes me wonder how aware he is of the issues they constantly have.

It is easy to blame on the pandemic, but these issues go back many years, and delays with shipping (which happen) are not the main issue. The biggest issue is the poor customer service.  If a delay happens, email your customers and let them know instead of leaving them hanging for weeks, months, etc.  Customers should not have to come begging for answers.  Proactively updating your customers is what is good service, and that is where Radiant has failed miserably for as long as I can remember.

"But she is too busy to answer emails."  Then hire more people.  And that goes back to Neal being hands-off and likely totally in the dark about most of these issues, as he doesn't seem like a guy who would charge the prices he does and allow his fans to receive poor customer service on a consistent basis.

That sounds about right. At least with this latest release anyway.....

[King Postwhore]

The only thing I can say about vocals in the two bands is that I think that Pete and Mike should stick to background vocals.  I don't think the timbre of either of their voices are ideal for singing lead.

I'll disagree.  Their lead vocals are often album highlights for me.  But I will again note that they are used sparingly, and I might not feel that way if they had more leads than they do.

I don't mind Mike's lead vocals on a song or two but Pete's voice in not lead singer quality.

[RoeDent]

Looks like Transatlantic has invaded the NMB thread... 

[KevShmev]

Yeah, it's strange that one of the bands Neal Morse is in would get discussed in the Neal Morse Appreciation Thread.

[darkshade]

Yeah, it's strange that one of the bands Neal Morse is in would get discussed in the Neal Morse Appreciation Thread.

Much as I love Roine and his contributions to the band, Transatlantic is stylistically closer to Neal's solo and NMB work, than to TFK or DT.

So yea, this isn't off topic, and this isn't specifically a NMB thread.

[ReaperKK]

Just got done listening to this album for the first time. This is only the second Neal Morse album I've ever listened to but I really enjoyed it. From a music standpoint it was a fantastic album all the way through. The Way It Has To Be was an immediate favorite. I haven't explored much of Neal's music but after listening to this I'll make some time to do so.

I will say the biggest detractor for me was the vocals, I really wish Eric was singing the whole album. I'll give it a few more spins, maybe I'll grow to like it. I had the same impression of JLB when I first got into DT.

[Peter Mc]

I can understand your point with the vocals but I wouldn’t personally want Eric singing all the vocals.  He has a decent voice but it’s quite a generic rock voice to me, not particularly unique or interesting.  He’s great at singing what he sings as a contrast to Neal and the others but wouldn’t work as well if it was all him imo.  Each to their own though.

[darkshade]

I've only listened to the new NMB album a few times, I'm not exactly in a Neal-mood so I'm holding off until I am (though I did listen to a bunch of Transatlantic recently) but I can tell this is a really strong album, and I look forward to diving in once the Neal and/or prog rock mood strikes for me.

Just got done listening to this album for the first time. This is only the second Neal Morse album I've ever listened to but I really enjoyed it. From a music standpoint it was a fantastic album all the way through. The Way It Has To Be was an immediate favorite. I haven't explored much of Neal's music but after listening to this I'll make some time to do so.

I will say the biggest detractor for me was the vocals, I really wish Eric was singing the whole album. I'll give it a few more spins, maybe I'll grow to like it. I had the same impression of JLB when I first got into DT.

Glad you enjoyed it. What was the first Neal Morse album you've heard? You are familiar with Transatlantic?

[Stadler]

I find Eric's voice dull and kind of annoying.
He's a very skilled guitarist, but I don't think he has a lot of personality.

Roine, easily.

Oddly, I'm looking forward to the shows to see who sings what.  I love Bill's voice (as a seasoning to the main voices) but there are times when I'm not sure if it's Eric or Neal singing.   It doesn't matter to me, other than curiosity, but still.

Between the two bands - NMB and Transatlantic - I rate the singers (I'm assuming Randy doesn't sing):

Neal
Eric
Bill
Mike
Roine

Before anyone comments, I left Pete off because I was rating the SINGERS.   

So what MP does on your list? 

AND

I'm sorry but Roine is a better singer than Mike.  Not that he's a great singer by any means, but Mike is pretty bad IMO.  Now I will give him credit and say his singing has improved from the DT days, but it's still pretty bad if you ask me.

Not for me.  I'm not asking for Mike as a lead singer for a whole song - the song on Flying Colors that I listen to so little that I can't even remember the name; wait, Fool In My Heart - but he's got a real knack for knowing when to step in and when not to. I LOVE the "Some people say..." part of "Your Place In The Sun".  I think that's perfect.    Roine's a good singer, but his tone - that reediness - isn't my bag, really.   It sounds sparse compared to Neal (and I'm not a Flower Kings fan).

[HOF]

I really like it when MP does leads, at least on the songs I’ve heard. Fool in My Heart and Looking for the Light show how far he’s come as a singer. As long as his voice suits the particular song it’s fine. I do think on TAU he sounds better than Roine, which isn’t a knock on Roine so much as praise for Mike. Roine is just several years past his prime vocally at this point.

[ReaperKK]

I've only listened to the new NMB album a few times, I'm not exactly in a Neal-mood so I'm holding off until I am (though I did listen to a bunch of Transatlantic recently) but I can tell this is a really strong album, and I look forward to diving in once the Neal and/or prog rock mood strikes for me.

Just got done listening to this album for the first time. This is only the second Neal Morse album I've ever listened to but I really enjoyed it. From a music standpoint it was a fantastic album all the way through. The Way It Has To Be was an immediate favorite. I haven't explored much of Neal's music but after listening to this I'll make some time to do so.

I will say the biggest detractor for me was the vocals, I really wish Eric was singing the whole album. I'll give it a few more spins, maybe I'll grow to like it. I had the same impression of JLB when I first got into DT.

Glad you enjoyed it. What was the first Neal Morse album you've heard? You are familiar with Transatlantic?

Sola Gratia was the first complete album I listened to and it didn't really do much for me. I listed to the newest Transatlantic album, both Forevermore and Breath of Life but those felt long-winded to me. I do plan on going back to listen to the The Absolute Universe again because it was a lot to take in on one listen but I'm not sure if I'll enjoy it as much as I&D.

[ReaperKK]

I can understand your point with the vocals but I wouldn’t personally want Eric singing all the vocals.  He has a decent voice but it’s quite a generic rock voice to me, not particularly unique or interesting.  He’s great at singing what he sings as a contrast to Neal and the others but wouldn’t work as well if it was all him imo.  Each to their own though.

I think what I don't care for with Neal singing is he sounds like he is straining. It's hard to put into words but it's almost as if he is trying to put as much inflection on his voice as possible.

[425]

I think in the last few years MP has gotten to a place where he has a really good sense of when and how to use his voice for maximum effectiveness. All the lead parts I can think of that he's done recently are parts where sounds good and is bringing something to the table that the other singers and the band can't. I think Looking for the Light is a good example.

As I have said before, I also really like the MP/BH combo that NMB used a few times on The Great Adventure. Mike's more aggressive edge and Bill's higher wail really paired surprisingly well on Fighting With Destiny and Welcome to the World 2.

[425]

Sola Gratia was the first complete album I listened to and it didn't really do much for me. I listed to the newest Transatlantic album, both Forevermore and Breath of Life but those felt long-winded to me. I do plan on going back to listen to the The Absolute Universe again because it was a lot to take in on one listen but I'm not sure if I'll enjoy it as much as I&D.

Glad to hear you're getting interested in Neal's music! Since you liked I&D and didn't care as much for Sola Gratia, it might be worth pointing out the distinction between Neal Morse solo and The Neal Morse Band, in case you weren't already aware of it.

Neal Morse solo is all music written by Neal and with him doing most of the guitar, keyboard and vocals, featuring Mike Portnoy and Randy George playing drums and bass.

The Neal Morse Band is written more collaboratively by Neal, Mike, Randy, Eric Gillette (guitar) and Bill Hubauer (keys), with vocals split between Neal, Eric, Bill and Mike in approximately the proportions that you heard on I&D. I think it's fair to say that a lot of people, myself included, feel that there's an added creative energy to the NMB releases over and above the Neal solo releases. The other NMB albums are: The Grand Experiment, The Similitude of a Dream and The Great Adventure. These aren't in exactly the same style as I&D, but you're probably more likely to enjoy them than other NM releases based on what you've liked so far.

[darkshade]

I've only listened to the new NMB album a few times, I'm not exactly in a Neal-mood so I'm holding off until I am (though I did listen to a bunch of Transatlantic recently) but I can tell this is a really strong album, and I look forward to diving in once the Neal and/or prog rock mood strikes for me.

Just got done listening to this album for the first time. This is only the second Neal Morse album I've ever listened to but I really enjoyed it. From a music standpoint it was a fantastic album all the way through. The Way It Has To Be was an immediate favorite. I haven't explored much of Neal's music but after listening to this I'll make some time to do so.

I will say the biggest detractor for me was the vocals, I really wish Eric was singing the whole album. I'll give it a few more spins, maybe I'll grow to like it. I had the same impression of JLB when I first got into DT.

Glad you enjoyed it. What was the first Neal Morse album you've heard? You are familiar with Transatlantic?

Sola Gratia was the first complete album I listened to and it didn't really do much for me. I listed to the newest Transatlantic album, both Forevermore and Breath of Life but those felt long-winded to me. I do plan on going back to listen to the The Absolute Universe again because it was a lot to take in on one listen but I'm not sure if I'll enjoy it as much as I&D.

I think it's important to note that Sola Gratia is not one of Neal's best albums, and TAU is not perfect either. I recommend checking out any of the first 3 Transatlantic albums, and Neal's other albums like '?' and 'One'.

[ErHaO]

If you like I&D, I definitely think it is worth giving the other Neal Morse Band albums a go.

[darkshade]

If you like I&D, I definitely think it is worth giving the other Neal Morse Band albums a go.

This, too. Start at their first album, The Grand Experiment, though the follow up is considered their best album, and Neal's best in years.

[ReaperKK]

The grand experiment is the first album? Man I've been following this thread for ages (mainly for the radiant lolz) but I guess I blended solo releases with nmb releases.

[KevShmev]

The Similitude of a Dream is the best album Neal has ever done from any of his bands or projects.

*drops mic*

[gmillerdrake]

The Similitude of a Dream is the best album Neal has ever done from any of his bands or projects.

*drops mic*

I'm onboard with that. For sure.

I am loving this album though. Get rid of that cover song and it's pretty much a perfect album. It's out of place and frankly not all that good.

While I was indifferent on the releases of the singles....just listened to them a couple times.....they are perfect in context of the full album and sound almost like different songs.