Album Review: Neal Morse - The Dreamer: Joseph Part I

Here's what I've never understood about religion; Why do the most fervent believers feel like they can never stop talking about their faith? Surely, if you are as comfortable with your faith as you say you are, you shouldn't need to keep proving your devotion to everyone else. Yes, I know they will say it's about promoting the religion so it can spread, but that never worked for me either. The same people who rely on freedom of religion to live their lives as they wish have no problem knocking on someone's door and trying to convert them. Where is the freedom of religion for everyone who doesn't agree with you?

Sorry for the tangent, but that's my way of saying I'm not exactly thrilled to be sitting here talking about only the first half of a new religious musical from Neal Morse. This might be a passion project for him, but it's a drag for me.

Let's get something out of the way right from the start; There is no need for this album. Like his previous album about Jesus the exorcist, there are already plenty of musicals telling the stories of the Bible. Neal doesn't need to add to a catalog too massive to even think about with these records very few are ever going to hear. Is this album about Joseph and his coat ever going to replace 'Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' in our popular consciousness? Hardly.

I have gone along with plenty of Neal's religious proselytizing in the past, because the music was good enough to make it worthwhile. That wasn't the true with his Jesus album, which was dad-rock of the worst kind. Neal and I haven't been seeing eye to eye for quite a while now, and when the first single for this record was released, I was already groaning at having to sit through sixteen tracks of such corny and bland music.

I will say this album is less embarrassing for me to be listening to than the Jesus album, but it's also not doing anything to move the needle. Perhaps I don't have enough understanding of stage musicals, but since this is being presented as an album, I'm struck by the lack of strong melodies and songs to be found. The characters opine about their situations, but whether it's the acoustic malaise of "Wait On You", or the blues vamp of "Gold Dust City", there is nothing to these melodies to engage me as a listener. It continues a trend of Neal's music growing less and less accessible. He used to throw out prog songs with amazing hooks, and now that he's doing something geared toward the immediate melody, they're falling flat again and again.

I'm going to hold Neal to his own standard. He made the "?" album, which is also a religious concept record. That one was filled with catchy songs and memorable moments. It sounded like a celebration of a faith that makes his life what it is. I don't get any of that from this record. The songs are dull, and that dullness makes me wonder about how these stories are supposed to convince people to come over to his side. Listening, it doesn't make me feel like my life will be better for accepting religion into my life. It's rather a downer of a record, and the prospect of having to do this again for another full hour next year doesn't lift my spirits any.

Sad to say, I've been losing faith in Neal's music, and at this point, with this record, it's just about gone.