Album Review: D'Virgilio, Morse, & Jennings - Troika

Has there ever been an album that, as soon as you heard about it, you thought would be absolutely perfect for you? I had that feeling when this album was announced. I went through a period where I was deep into Neal Morse's music, but that has since faded. The albums of his I still go back to most are his song-oriented ones, so getting this album that is softer and song focused is just what I would want. At the same time, I also spent a good bit of time last year listening to The Jayhawks period where the two singers shared lead on much of every song, so an album filled to the brim with vocal harmonies is also right in line with what I was listening to recently. Put the two of those together, and this became one of those albums I was very much looking forward to.

Primarily an acoustic album, the centerpiece is the interplay between the vocals of Morse, Nick D'Virgilio, and Ross Jennings. The cascading harmonies are what these songs are built around, and that blend is what makes the record feel timeless. If you took an old Crosby, Stills, & Nash album, but gave it hints of prog here and there, this is the end result. It's a record for a laid-back lazy day, when you would rather hear something beautiful than something heavy.

The opening "Everything I Am" sets the tone for all of this. Neal plays a guitar figure with just enough flurries of notes to remind us of his prog roots, Nick taps out a proggy rhythm with his percussion, and Ross joins in for some wonderfully layered harmonies. There's something magical about voices that fit together, and these three absolutely do. The distinct qualities when they sing lead give added depth and space to their harmonies. It's a lush sound that caresses the ears like few other things can.

As the album unfolds, and each gets their chance to sing lead, it's the vocal interplay that remains the most appealing part of the music. Also, sharing duties can mask if there is a voice you aren't as fond of than the others. In this case, that would be Ross for me. The song he leads, "Another Trip Around The Sun", is the weakest effort because of how the other two are used. It isn't just that they are primarily backup duties, but when the song moves into a counterpoint section, all the voices have so much reverb put on them, the ways they weave and interact get blurred. It sounds rather hollow and difficult to hear. I've had that same issue with vocals on Morse albums for many years now.

But that's only one song. The rest of the album paints with the wide brush of their three voices, making something special out of these songs. It strikes me more as an album of feeling than one of songs, by which I mean the sensation I get from listening to the record is a stronger pull than any of the songs on their own. I don't know if any of these songs would earn a place on a list of my favorites Neal has been a part of, but the record as a whole exceeds that judgment.

"Troika" is the sort of charming little record we don't always get enough of. It isn't trying to do anything but have a little fun, and the cheery disposition brought out by the vocal harmonies will be a wonderful soundtrack once the warm Spring weather comes along. I may have had qualms about several of the albums all three of these guys have made recently, but this one is a strong reset. I needed something like this, and D'Virgilio, Morse, and Jennings came through for me.