Album Review: Neal Morse - Jesus Christ:The Exorcist

Neal Morse has made a lot of religious music, which makes it a bit odd that I've been as much a fan of his as I have. I could tell myself that "Sola Scriptura" and "?" were just stories, even if I was deeply uncomfortable with the line about the Catholic church being a whore (not because of my faith, or lack thereof, but because of the intolerance it reeked of). It was harder to understand why I loved "God Won't Give Up", but I could tell myself the songs were just too catchy and wonderful to quibble with the preaching. Yes, I would cringe every time he uses Jesus' name in a lyric, but it was such great pop music.

But what happens when all the good parts of the music are stripped away, and all we have left is the evangelical preaching? The answer is this record.

Neal Morse has put together a double-album rock opera telling the story of Jesus, with a large cast bringing the characters to life. It's clearly a passion project of Neal's, and his faith means everything to him, so I don't want to sound like I'm taking a giant dump on his heart's work. That said, it's pretty much exactly what I'm doing.

Neal is a great songwriter, one of my favorites, but you wouldn't know that from this record. The stage production feeling takes away all of the prog flair and pop hooks his music is known for. Those songs wouldn't work as well in a stage setting, and by writing more generic theater material, Neal has turned himself into everyone else who produces musicals. So unless you already love musicals, this is going to sound incredibly hokey, and a bit like an after-school special.

Even as a stage production, this doesn't make a lot of sense. Neal can't resist, so he throws in a couple of longer prog numbers. Why would there be a two minute keyboard solo while the characters are standing on stage? Unless I'm mistaken, there is no story of Jesus playing a wicked arpeggio in any of the gospels. And that does point to another issue I can't overlook; this is the most overbearing Christian record Neal has ever made. There is no way to tune out the religion, or reinterpret it as metaphorical in your own mind. This record is getting beaten over the head with a Bible, getting a concussion, and then waking up to someone praying over you. I have no issues with anyone having their faith, but there's a line where I feel it gets pushed too hard on others, and this record crosses well over it.

But even with all of that, I would still be able to forgive Neal if these two discs were filled with great Neal Morse songs. They aren't. This is, in addition to the insufferable religiosity, the worst material he's ever put out. Even the weaker stuff he's put out in recent years has been good, so I assume this is because he was writing for a different audience that doesn't translate to record. Regardless, there isn't a single track among these two dozens I would put on any of his best albums. The pop doesn't pop, the prog is out of place, and the rock is so ham-handed.

Due to the subject matter, I wasn't expecting anything going into this record, and that was the smartest decision I've made all year. If I thought I was getting a more traditional Neal Morse album, I would be depressed after listening to this. At least this way I can write it off as a one-off experiment, and push it out of my mind.

I'm sorry to say it, but this experience was one of the worst I've had this year. Roughly two hours of being preached to about Jesus through mediocre songs is not something I ever wanted to sit through. I tried because of Neal's track-record, and I'm sorry I did. I am not a convert.