Kind of off topic on the subject, but on topic in the topic (
):
I have been listening intensively to "?" and "Sola Scriptura" again these past weeks and I have come to the conclusion that these albums are the best that he has done.
I thought it would be fun to make a top 9 of his prog solo albums. (Soon a top 10.) Mine looks a lot like this:
1. Sola Scriptura
2. ?
3. The Similitude Of A Dream
4. One
5. Testimony Two
6. Testimony
7. The Grand Experiment
8. Momentum
9. Lifeline
The first five choices are pretty solid, but after that it got more difficult. Let me explain.
(And a note: while typing my explanation of my top 9, it turned into something different. Sorry for that. I just wanted to speak my heart and reflect on it.)
The top four:It seems, from this list, that I just like concept albums a lot. I think that's where Neal excels. He is a great story teller. Not necessarily a good lyricist (although I think he is way above average!). His stories are thought provoking and full of depth. Especially when you also connect to it on a spiritual level, I think that's where you get most out of it. Where others try to be a poet, Neal tries to be a servant of the Word of God. His albums "Sola Scriptura" and "?" seem like some sort of sermon to me sometimes. I learned a lot as I was analysing the lyrics. Looking up lyrics in the bible. I learned about the Bible and about God's will, and I learned about myself. Still now, I can get emotional when I listen to this music, and I know it goes deeper than the music alone.
The middle two:Both of his Testimony albums are a bit different. Yes, they are concept albums, but they tell his life story. It's very personal, which is totally understandable of course. But there's little to no biblical analysis (or exegesis if you like), like in "One", "?" and "Sola Scriptura". Some of his experiences I recognise, albeit not always in the same way. And then there are parts in the Testimony albums that are (should be) recognizable to christians in general. Like how he feels so down "while [he is] deep in [his] sin", always trying, always failing. Still, even after finding God, he discovers that he's still drawn to sin. But there's not all misery of course, there's also deliverance. That wonderful feeling when "something's started moving in your heart" and you want to "sing it high". All the way through these two albums (but also beyond of course) you can hear the gratitude. "Rejoice, for the king has come. Let the spirit move now and His will be done." Man, I love Neal's openness. His testimony is uplifting, catching (and catchy!) and 'contagious' in a good way.
The bottom three:Then there's albums like "Lifeline", "Momentum" and "The Grand Experiment" which are not concept albums. To me, "Lifeline" is just a bit shallow, both lyrically as well as musically. Not enough meat to sink my teeth into, so to speak. It's like a worship album but in a prog coat, or maybe the other way around. I often wonder what caused this. Of course one year after "Lifeline" we got "The Whirlwind", which is a wonderful album. And the reunion was a big hype of course. I'd like to think that Neal, during "Lifeline", was saving all of his skills for this Transatlantic album. Now, it might seem strange to add "The Whirlwind" into my little rant here, but I think it was some sort of turning point for Neal. In Transatlantic, Neal was always speaking about his faith, but veiled. For his solo albums he was more open about his beliefs. After "The Whirlwind" he sort of took this custom (veiled lyrics) back to his solo albums, starting with "Momentum". I used to praise "Momentum" and "The Grand Experiment" when they were just released. While I still really like these albums and enjoy every song whenever I hear one, the initial fire is partially gone. Musically it's fantastic (but not better than the other albums), and I especially like the epics (
World Without End is great!), which are sort of 'conceptual' in their nature. But to me, it's like listening to Transatlantic. Obviously, I like Transatlantic, but for other reasons than I like Neal's solo music. With "Momentum" and "The Grand Experiment", the lyrics are less tangible, less radically biblical. And I know that for some that's a plus. Even the word 'radical' makes people jump up in disgust. I think Neal's being too careful here, perhaps adding water to the wine.
That being said, while I think these are the bottom three, they're still three of the better albums compared to a whole lot in my cd cabinet.
With "The Similitude Of A Dream", Neal is finally back in concept album territory, and I feel that he's more focused. His lyric writing is more founded in something tangible again. There's a lot to analyse again and a lot to learn from. And now he is (they are) going to release another double concept album along the same lines. I'm sure it's gonna be a great adventure and a grand experiment.
