So, I finally had the chance to listen to it. Hopefully, it will grow on me as time goes by, as it is indubitably a monumental effort, but it didn't connect with me the first time around. It was quite a chore to get through it, actually.
I never really liked DT's ballads, they often tend to venture into kitschy territory when it comes to their slower songs (especially the choruses) and this album feels like it's 80% ballads. It's just one soft piano intro after the other (make no mistake, I love Jordan's piano playing, but it gets overwhelming here). The snare drum sound sucks again and it has no dynamics. Why? It befuddles me why they put a gated, deep, almost triggered-like snare drum sound on an otherwise versatile and dynamic album. It just begs for a different snare and more dynamic playing. I didn't hear a single different snare hit throughout the entire album, let alone ghost notes, which should be a must for an epic album like this.
On the flip side, Jordan using a real Hammond + Leslie combo is an absolute treat for a keyboard aficionado such as myself. It's something I've been wishing for since I got acquainted with DT in 2005 (and a reason why I would have preferred if Derek had stayed longer) and it's almost surreal to hear those fat, growling organ sounds instead of the usual digital, artificial organ simulation. Even though the piano feels a bit too much (at least for now), Jordan really delivered this time, gotta tip my hat off to him.
Amidst a plethora of forgettable and sometimes downright cheesy melodies (Brother Can You Hear Me instantly struck me as a stinker), there are quite a few good ones too, some surprisingly fresh and intensely virtuoso instrumental passages and spectacular vocal deliveries. There are a lot of moments where I thought "Wow, I've never heard DT play like this before."
MM has some moments where his chops shine through, JP's solos are pleasant as usual, however there wasn't a single moment where I remarked JM's bass. He's virtually non-existent on TA, which is surprising given how prominent his sound was on DT12.
I was quite surprised how much the whole thing plays and feels like a rock opera. When I was a little kid, I starred in a bunch of rock operas, listening to TA instantly brought me back to those days, I was seeing images from that period of my childhood almost all the way through. It was nice to connect to the new album on that nostalgic level. Hopefully, after subsequent listens, it'll connect with my current self as well, because right now, I'm not feeling it.