Flying Colors

Flying Colors (2012)

1. Blue Ocean - 7:04
2. Shoulda Coulda Woulda - 4:29
3. Kayla - 5:12
4. The Storm - 4:44
5. Forever In A Daze - 3:52
6. Love Is What I'm Waiting For - 3:30
7. Everything Changes - 6:48
8. Better Than Walking Away - 4:53
9. All Falls Down - 3:20
10. Fool In My Heart - 3:47
11. Infinite Fire - 12:00

I wasn't sure what to think about this album when it first came out.  Another Neal Morse/Mike Portnoy project, this time with the Dixie Dregs' Steve Morse and Dave LaRue on guitar and bass and an indie rock guy on lead vocals and guitar named Casey McPherson. I was fascinated by the idea of a Neal Morse project where he would just be the keyboard player, since, when he's also the lead singer, his musical personality tends to take over.  And I know the Dixie Dregs are an amazing jazz fusion band - I've just never listened to them.

When I popped the CD in, I got real worried real fast.  Studio chatter, someone saying "let's try it again from the Blue Ocean thing", a false start... did they mean to put that on the album? But then Dave LaRue's bass starts pumping along on a tricky arpeggiated line, piano and guitar lay in on top, and the song takes off.  Driving melodies, huge choruses, sweet background vocals, playful instrumental accents, and a lightning-fast yet oh-so-smooth guitar solo.  Woohoo!

Turns out, these guys play very well together and bring their considerable talents to bear on a fantastic set of songs.  The vocals are stunning throughout, especially on the emotive "The Storm", the perfectly paced "Everything Changes", and "Kayla" - check out the madrigal-style singing on the bridge, not to mention the chorus harmonies.  Mood and feel are employed masterfully, and challenging instrumental arrangements never distract from the essence of the song. The band does delve a bit into genre, but the songs are fresh and enticing, like the gospel shuffle of "Fool In My Heart", the funky rocker "Forever In A Daze" (awesome slap bass!), or the Beatlesque pop of "Love Is What I'm Waiting For".  It all winds up with "Infinite Fire", a progressive rock epic that hearkens back to Neal's work with Spock's Beard, yet still bears the strong stamp of this unique group of musicians.

The only misstep for me is "Shoulda Coulda Woulda" - only two songs in and we hit the speedbump.  It's a noisy, metallic screamer that just doesn't work for me.  There are some okay vocals in the second part of the chorus, but the verses and the first part of the chorus are almost devoid of melody. I can take a lot of noisy metal, all I ask for is a melody.  It's my half-point deduction.

Arbitrary rating: 4.5 out of 5 masterfully employed moods