In the 22 years since he underwent a religious conversion, Neal Morse – the keyboardist, singer and songwriter known for his work with Spock’s Beard, Transatlantic, Flying Colors and others – often relays his faith via the medium of music.
A most extreme example is 2019’s spectacularly overblown, special guest-strewn rock opera Jesus Christ The Exorcist. By comparison, No Hill For A Climber (a line from Barbara Kingsolver’s Pulitzer-winning novel Demon Copperhead) is more rooted in the world of the secular, with occasional references to the Bible.
Judas, the Prodigal Son, the road to Damascus and – of course – Jesus pepper a lyrical approach that infers its message instead of ranting from the pulpit. Among its more succinct moments, the creepy-sounding Thief is unmistakably set in the current day: ‘You stole my credit cards, my house, my hummer/Thief/ You took my happy hill man, it’s such a bummer.’
But almost three decades into his recording career, we know what to expect of Morse, and true to form, opener Eternity In Your Eyes arrives in a thunderous barrage of melodic keyboards, complemented by deliciously fulsome vocalising. When a sumptuous main melody kicks in after less than a couple of minutes, this could be the handiwork of no one else.
Morse takes a back seat to encourage his protégés from the wings
Offering a little over an hour of music, its contents are broken down into two huge centrepieces, both of which are guaranteed to delight prog’s stopwatch brigade – the aforementioned Eternity In Your Eyes, which lasts for 20-plus minutes, and the truly epic title track that falls just short of the half-hour mark. Its other three selections are considerably more bite-sized.
At the suggestion of his wife, this album features a sizeable contribution from guitarist Andre Madatian, bassist Chris Riley and drummer Phillip Martin, three young musicians Morse has utilised for local Tennessee live shows, under the banner The Resonance.
With many higher-range vocal parts performed by another fresh talent from the neighbourhood, Johnny Bisaha, Morse takes a back seat to encourage his protégés from the wings. As well as adding harmonies and trading lines with his senior partner, Bisaha is entrusted to sing Ever Interceding – one of the shorter numbers – all on his own.
The results are suitably encouraging. Morse avoids ties to the past but he reveals that construction-wise, at least, No Hill For A Climber nods at Spock’s Beard V, or even Transatlantic’s Bridge Across Forever. Give it a listen.
• No Hill For A Climber is on sale now via InsideOut.
