Quick note re: Eric Gillette.
I love the man, from his guitar playing, to his singing, to his stage presence and the conversations I've had with him off stage. And he's an amazing musician on other instruments as well. That said, having his two solo albums, you really see where the magic with a guy like Neal Morse happens. His ability to take the raw pieces of Eric's work and infuse and arrange them in his masterful songwriting ways, really takes Eric to the next level. On a technical scale, no question Eric runs circles around Neal in several ways, but Neal just has that *it* factor when composing that is tough for many to equal.