The two albums could easily have been paired together, so strong is the common writing thread of Morse. Yes, we could say Cosmic Cathedral has more jazz undertones and more of a groove ethos, whereas the Resonance is perhaps more adventurous (e.g. there’s no “Thief” on “Deep Water”), but if compared to any other band, these recordings are nearly two of a kind. They are both clearly Neal Morse projects in style and content, and they are both unabashedly Christian prog rock albums.
Regarding Cosmic Cathedral’s personnel, while bassist Byron House is absolutely top tier and a joy to take in, and it’s a delight to hear Chester Thompson drumming once again in a prog context (after his recent stint with Unitopia), what truly stands this band apart from other Morse projects is Phil Keaggy’s guitar work. Simply put, his playing is an album (and band) highlight. We’ve heard Keaggy join Morse before, but his role as a core member of this quartet truly pays off and is one reason to keep coming back for repeat listens.
The majority of the material on “Deep Water” is uplifting and often downright fun. They dive right into it with the opening mini-epic “The Heart Of Life”. Just like The Resonance immediately proved themselves with the astoundingly good “Eternity In Your Eyes”, Cosmic Cathedral does the same with their lead-off track.
Following predictable Morse arrangement values, an opening instrumental overture engages the listener right away, complete with a break for a bass/drum groove provided here by House/Thompson instead of the usual Randy George/Mike Portnoy in NMB, but then Keaggy’s guitar solo takes us to unexpected places. Very cool. Keaggy’s voice also provides a nice complement to Morse’s when harmonizing, often sounding surprisingly similar to Eric Gillette.
However, even here, he sometimes goes in unexpected places – check out his almost raga-like vocal descent at 5:06 as he sings “Heart of liiiiiiiife.” Where did that come from, never to be repeated? With intoxicating Genesis-drenched moments yet to come and outstanding melodic vocal choruses, this is a triumph right out of the gate. It’s quintessential Morse that’ll make a believer out of nearly anyone.
The two tracks that most give Cosmic Cathedral a unique sound away from Morse’s usual productions are “Time To Fly” and “Walking In Daylight”. The former is the one that Morse has been unfortunately referring to as Prog Yacht Rock – understandable, but don’t give that classification too much oxygen. Regardless, it goes down smoothly and shares the good vibes freely. The only other time I can think of Morse toying with Steely Dan territory was Flying Colors’ “Geronimo”, and this is equally successful, though much more laid back. With horns, conga, and female vocals, a great groove from House underneath, and Keaggy solos on top, what’s not to love? The longer “Walking In Daylight” features Keaggy on lead vocals more than anywhere else on the album. Talk about groove – House and Thompson really propel the piece with swagger while Keaggy serves up searing extended guitar solos before returning to the catchy chorus.
There’s one short piece called “I Won’t Make It,” which honestly doesn’t feel like it belongs on this album at all. Cut from the cloth of Morse’s acoustic singer-songwriter albums (the most recent being Late Bloomer), there’s nothing about this song that feels like it’s a Cosmic Cathedral track. The lyrics will likely touch many people, and it may be a welcome change of style for some, but it seems very strange to have it included here. Thick with string accompaniment and a key modulation, this just feels like a solo Morse song that takes away from the energy being created by forming a new band. Given that the album already runs over 70 minutes, that’s one more reason that this song could have been saved for a different Morse project. That’s one opinion, though, yours might be totally different, and it may be a favorite song here.
There’s still the 38-minute title track suite at hand. Here, the band gets to play in Morse’s wheelhouse of epic prog creations. There’s definitely some new sounds here – not to mention that some sections were the result of extended jamming sessions – but by and large we’re in familiar territory, from the instrumental overture to the edgy hard rocking “Launch Out – Part One” to the more acoustic story ballad of “Fires Of The Sunrise”, the dark and foreboding “Nightmare In Paradise” and so forth.
It’s all classic Morse, but the rest of the band sounds great playing along. Keaggy’s extended soloing in “Storm Surface” is a highlight, while House gets a fretless moment of his own on “Nightmare” and in general, his bass tone dominates the entire piece. Behind it all, Thompson has his host of drums covering all the bases, keeping the sound full while driving the pace, which includes many unexpected time signatures. The playful expression of “New Revelation” offers an almost gospel fervor along with more jamming, a fine example of making the Spirit accessible to everyone.
However, the closing “The Door To Heaven” quickly reminds the audience that this is a Christian prog album – in case you thought that we were just having some secular fun here – so all hailing King Jesus is the inevitable culmination. The song itself has been written many, many times over by Morse before – melodically and lyrically – so it’s only the sincerity and joy in his (and Keaggy’s) voices that convince that this is the best way to conclude an album yet one more time. But the over-reliance on the form is starting, ironically, to feel like a crutch.
Musicians:
- Neal Morse / Vocals/ Keyboards
- Phil Keaggy / Guitars, Vocals
- Byron House / Bass
- Chester Thompson / Drums, percussion
Deep Water Track-list:
- The Heart Of Life
- Time To Fly
- I Won’t Make It
- Walking In Daylight
- Deep Water Suite I: Introduction
- Deep Water Suite II: Launch Out, Pt. I
- Deep Water Suite III: Fires Of The Sunrise
- Deep Water Suite IV: Storm Surface
- Deep Water Suite V: Nightmare In Paradise
- Deep Water Suite VI: Launch Out, Pt. II
- Deep Water Suite VII: New Revelation
- Deep Water Suite VIII: Launch Out, Pt. III
- Deep Water Suite IX: The Door To Heaven
Order Deep Water here
Joining up with three highly esteemed music legends, Neal Morse goes heavy on the prog for his new band Cosmic Cathedral, while incorporating more jazz flavors than ever before. It’s a delight having Chester Thompson behind the drum kit and the mighty bass tone of Byron House - these two make the album groove. But guitarist and vocalist Phil Keaggy dazzles throughout, taking his numerous solos in directions seldom seen on a Morse recording. All of this set to a foundation of strong compositions and the excitement of forming a new band. Morse continues on a strong roll, let’s see where he’ll go next.
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Songwriting
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Musicianship
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Originality
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