Short Reviews [Alan Morse - 2026 - "So Many Words"]

I have long been a fan of Alan Morse and feel his guitar playing is often underappreciated and his talents not recognised nearly enough. He has a very distinct style, and when I saw Spock’s Beard back in the Nineties I thought he was remarkable, while the image of him and Neal sharing a guitar with each playing on three strings is something I will always remember. Not long after Neal left the band, I also had the opportunity to interview Alan, and he came across as a warm and genuinely interesting person, so I was definitely looking forward to hearing this album. This is Alan’s second solo release, the first being an instrumental in 2007, and this time around we have an album of songs with assistance from plenty of guests. Alan wrote or co-wrote all the material, while there is room for performances from nearly the whole of Spock’s Beard, current and past, with just Nick Potters missing from proceedings (but given there are already four drummers involved there probably was not enough room). Alan provides a lot of instrumentation himself, including most of the guitars and bass, but there is still room for old mate Dave Meros on one, while Tony Levin is on another. This album sounds exactly like what it is, namely a side project for someone whose main role is in a band where he is not the primary songwriter. It is a varied release, with Alan showing that as well as being an incredible musician he has a very pleasant voice and is more than capable of taking lead vocals (although Ted Leonard provides lead on one, and Alan sings with Neal on two, and Julia Morse on another). The main issue for me is not the musicianship of those involved, which is immense, but the quality and consistency of the songs themselves. Neal has written two with Alan, and the first of these, “I Don't Want to Travel Time if it Takes Forever” is the standout. Apart from Tony Levin on bass and Domonic Dean Breaux on sax this is a family affair with John Morse on drums, then Alan and Neal sharing lead and backing vocals and guitars, while Alan also gives us cello and Neal some keyboards. This is a chugging melodic rock number which digs heavily into power pop and deserves to be a massive radio hit in the States. There are others which are quite interesting, such as “Make Me Real Again”, which is another heavier number, but the instrumental “Bass Solo” is actually worse than the name suggests with way too much electronic percussion and effects taking away from what is a delicate and interesting piece. The style and quality of the whole album is just inconsistent, as Alan switches from one style to another, mostly in commercial radio friendly power pop or soft rock, with little in the way of the progressive styles we normally associate with him. The result is an album which I am sure will mostly be picked up by fans of Spock’s Beard, but apart from the odd song there is little on here to which they will often return.