MIKE TRAMP (White Lion) - Museum (2014)

Genre - Hard Rock / Singer Songwriter / Acoustic Rock

Label -

Track listing:

01. Trust In Yourself

02. New World Coming

03. Down South

04. Better

05. Freedom

06. Commitment

07. And You Were Gone

08. Slave

09. Mother

10. Time For Me To Go

After last year's very well received semi acoustic album Cobblestone Street, White Lion vocalist MIKE TRAMP toured massively thru Europe, USA and did some shows at Down Under.Mike Tramp even found time to record a brand new album entitled "Museum",
"Museum" picks up exactly where his previous disc Cobblestone Street left off. Again, following his new-found, back-to-the-roots direction, most of the songs are built around his acoustic guitar and amazing vocals with thoughtful and introspective lyrics.
Keyboards and electric guitars are used sparingly in order to bring depth to the songs. This singer-songwriter approach sees Tramp at his expressive best: once again he writes about a wide range of subjects.
The opening song "Trust in Yourself" is about corrupt politicians and law-makers and, while it's a good piece, I feel the opening track on his previous album is a lot more powerful as it helped set the mood for the entire disc. This song, on the other hand, is more of a stand-alone tune.

"Down South" picks up the pace with a playful riff while "Better," informed by a subtle keyboard melody, suggests he is 'slowly getting better' after the tumultuous period he went through being away from his wife and children, which most of the songs on Cobblestone Street dealt with.

"Freedom" sounds like a song off of Recovering the Wasted Years. A nice mid-tempo AORish piece, the song basically chronicles his life on tour and how he feels the need to break free every now and then. 

"And You Were Gone" and "Commitment" are both mellow in their flow, highlighting Tramp's unique, easily recognizable vocals while "Slave," which gives the impression it was recorded live in a single take, is a nice rocking track.

Without doubt, the most personal song on Museum is "Mother." Tramp has written about his mother before: fans of his first solo album will remember the lyrics on 'Have You Ever' where he tells his mother she is 'more than God'. Based around a simple acoustic guitar theme in order to draw the focus on Tramp's raspy voice and lyrics, this track basically sums up his feelings. 

The track ends on a hopeful note, when he sings he will make his 'life worth living' and 'make it up'. Ever since Tramp wrote the track '92' on the first Freak of Nature album, I feel there's no one else out there who can give life and meaning to personal lyrics like he can, and this song is another great addition to his catalog.

The album's last track is the beautiful "Time for Me to Go," which is a song that could be on the previous disc given the lyrics detail his difficult relationship with his wife. It's a melodic rock tune that sounds a lot like a Mike Spiro penned song.

"Museum" is another strong solo album by the former White Lion frontman.
Tramp's heart-rending voice is intact and has a feeling that few singers / songwriters can deliver with such expressive musicality.
Lovely record - Recommended.

Rating - 9/10

NEAL MORSE - Songs From November (2014)

Genre - Singer Song writer / Prog Rock / Classic Rock

Label - 

Track listing:

01. Whatever Days

02. Heaven Smiled

03. Flowers In A Vase

04. Love Shot An Arrow

05. Song For The Free

06. Tell Me Annabelle

07. My Time Of Dying

08. When Things Slow Down

09. Daddy's Daughter

10. Wear The Chains

11. The Way Of Love

I came across this wonderful album the other day and thoroughly enjoyed it. A great mature album full of feeling.

Here's the review that came with the album:

There is few artists in Prog or any genre that produces as much music as NEAL MORSE does. With Spock’s Beard, Transatlantic, Flying Colors or as solo, with every coming cd, comes the question: How can he top himself this time?.

Earlier this year, Neal was a part of the spectacular Transatlantic – Kaleidoscope cd and now comes his latest solo album “Songs From November”. But as it has been described in earlier press releases, this was to be a singer/songwriter album.

ndeed, “Songs From November” it is precisely that; songs. 

A collection of eleven 4-minute rock&pop songs with some progressive moments, but light and at the service of the composition and with a strong classic rock feel in terms of sound. However, despite the lack of intricate prog craziness, this album is every bit Neal Morse.

The record starts with the commercial rocker "Whatever Days", a groovy opener with a feel-good vibe. It sets up the album nicely and lets you know right off the bat this is not going to be your normal Neal Morse album.

"Heaven Smiled" is the album’s first single, and more of a traditional Neal ballad. With some songs on the CD like this one, you can picture Transatlantic doing it and making it into a 7-8 minute opus.

What follows is the acoustic rack "Flowers In A Vase". This is a different style than you get on Neal Morse's albums, but it is one of the more beautiful numbers on the record. The piano ballad "Love Shot An Arrow" is a powerful moment on the CD and sounds like it could have been on Spock's Beard's Snow.

One of the best tracks on the album is the upbeat "Song for the Free". It kicks off with an acoustic guitar but evolves into a full on rocker with strings and harmonies. It really builds nicely and should make for a killer live song.

That song fades right into "Tell Me Annabelle", a dark tune which atmosphere juxtaposes with the previous.

The surprise track is the very personal "Daddy’s Daughter" which might be overly sentimental for some, but is just a great song and melodically brilliant. 

The album closes with the driving popping rocker "The Way of Love". It’s a great inspirational way to close the album. It has that big ending that Morse is known for.

Neal Morse has been at the forefront of the resurgence of Prog in the last fifteen years. His music has influenced many and his songwriting has changed the way Prog music is written and perceived all around. But at the core of his music are simple, accessible melodies, and earnest, heartfelt lyrics. 

That is what has always set him apart. The incredible musicianship is just another added element. It has always been about the songs and the stories in those songs, and never so evident like in this “Songs From November”.

This time just without the added solos and extravagant instrumental moments, Neal Morse proves here he doesn’t need a million notes to write a great song. 

“Songs From November” is a collection of Neal Morse songs at his purest and most sincere. And it is a welcome addition to his enormous catalog.

As I said a great album well worth checking out

Recommended.

Rating 9/10

Singer songwriters pay attention!

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