Gifted American multi-instrumentalist and composer Neal Morse has published an impromptu video on his YouTube Channel of himself performing an acoustic song he wrote the morning after the Parland shooting in Florida, entitled “What If It Was Your Child?”. The video can be seen below.
In recent months Neal’s songwriting has side-stepped the progressive rock epics and been directed to what he refers to as “slice of life”: songs dealing with relationships and issues. His new singer-songwriter album, “Life and Times” which is released tomorrow blends reflections on family matters with more somber material such as “He Died at Home”, a song inspired by the tragic news of the death of a friend’s roommate struggling with PTSD, along with a powerful article about a young soldier named William Busbee. In the best tradition of Dylan, Mitchell and Young, today Morse had released his reaction to the Parkland tragedy, in the form of a heart-rending acoustic tune much in the “protest singer” style. It’s not a political rant but looks at the recent tragic events through the eyes of a father/mother.
After an incredibly successful world tour in 2017 supporting his band’s most recent epic masterpiece, “The Similitude of a Dream,” Morse is now embarking on a rare, up close and personal solo acoustic tour spotlighting some of the music behind “Life and Times.” – you can check out our review of the album in this location. This unique string of intimate performances will reveal even more about the man, his life and music. Kudos to Neal for offering us with such inspiring lyrics in moments of reflection and change like this.