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Neal Morse & The Resonance - 2024 - "No Hill For A Climber" (67:00; InsideOut Music) At the end of 2023 Morse was wondering what he should do in 2024, and his wife suggested he ought to do something with the local musicians he had been working with at their Christmas concerts and local events. So Neal (keyboards, guitars, bass, percussion, lead & backing vocals) contacted Chris Riley (keyboards, guitars, bass, lead vocals), Andre Madatian (guitars, orchestration) and Philip Martin (drums) and they started playing together and jamming ideas. During the course of the year, as the composing continued, it was obvious there was a need for singer with a higher range, so Neal contacted Gabe Klein and asked if he had any ideas which is how he got in touch with Johnny Bisaha (lead vocals) and there was the core of the band. Of course, working with new and younger musicians means Neal was presented with different ideas, along with plenty of freshness and enthusiasm, but somehow that has not come through into the music itself. I love Neal, and all his projects, and have been fortunate enough to interview him a few times and he comes across as a genuinely really nice person, but there is no doubt that there are plenty of musical ideas contained here that we have heard from him multiple times before. The most interesting part for me is the use of Johnny as a singer as he is a real find and his take on Neal's songs and arrangements is fascinating, just like when I saw Spock's Beard after Neal had left and Nick was singing his songs then. It is not a bad album, far from it, but when it comes to Neal Morse, I have very high expectations indeed and still hope for the same excitement I got the first time I heard "The Light" back when I had a US-import copy as it had not then been released in the UK. But this is not that, although the musicianship is superb throughout, as even though there are new musicians this is obviously a Morse album just from the arrangements and sounds utilised. I am sure we will be hearing more from those involved again in future, and is of course a good album, which is the minimum I would expect from Neal, but it is not great. Progtector: February 2025 Related Links: Neal Morse InsideOut Music