In less than 6 months since Neal Morse released The Dreamer, Joseph Part One, he is back with the follow up, The Restoration, Joseph Part Two which completes the Biblical narrative of Joseph and his brothers and has Morse veering away from the rock album feel of Part One and more into 70’s prog rock.
In light of this being the finish of a large project, I thought it might be helpful to recap my thoughts on The Dreamer, Joseph Part One:
For The Dreamer, Joseph pt. 1, Morse chose to cover the story of Joseph, who has quite the epic in the Bible (Genesis 37-50). Joseph was the most beloved of Jacob’s sons and his jealous brothers sold him into slavery, where he ended up in Egypt but through remaining faithful to God gained the favor of his master only to be accused of attempted rape by his master’s wife after Joseph spurned her advances and ended up thrown into prison which is where Part 1 ends. Neal Morse has pulled together a collection of tracks that tell a story as told through his progressive rock lens. Performances are very strong, and the compositions work really well to convey the message. Yes it does border on stage musical at times, but the standout tracks on the rest of the album more than make up for that. Make no mistake, this is not a simple album to listen to in passing, as the more you become drawn in, the more you hear, the more you appreciate, the more you enjoy.
The Restoration, Joseph Part 2 picks up the story with Joseph gaining favor from Pharoah, essentially saving Egypt from starvation and also being reunited with his family when they come looking for food. Much like in the first record, Morse has pulled together a great cast of talented musicians to cover all the various parts, including having a string quartet for more than half the songs.
I will say from the outset that Part 2 is quite a bit different musically than Part 1 in some ways and it does focus more on the narrative and the story, which keeps it from flowing musically like Part 1 and sends it more toward a theatrical/stage feeling. The other part that I couldn’t help but notice is that I pick up a strong influence from the 1970s, especially progressive bands like Emerson, Lake, and Palmer and Yes in some songs and even some Alice Cooper theatrical vibes from time to time. The harmonized group vocals and acapella sections with them really brings back memories of 70’s radio.
There are times of great interplay between the guitars and keyboards in songs like “Cosmic Mess” and “Make Like a Breeze” which remind me of some of the Jeff Beck instrumentals, while other parts in those songs bring to mind the work Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple.
“Dreamer in the Jailhouse” has some of the heavier guitars on the album and for much of the song has the feel of a Rainbow song when you take into account the guitars, keyboards, and vocals and it works really well. Toward the end the song turns into mostly an intro for the next track with some spoken parts but the bulk of the track is great. One of the most rock-oriented songs on the album would have to be “I Hate My Brothers” , which makes great use of silence in some sections, making the music feel more powerful. The chorus though really sounds like it was a nod to Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself for Loving You” and I can’t shake that.
The Restoration, Joseph Part Two does complete the narrative and perhaps focuses a bit too much on that aspect compared to the more free-flowing nature of The Dreamer, Joseph Part One. In the end, the album is again filled with great performances, strong production, incredible multi-part vocal arrangements and a definite homage to great progressive bands of the past. I would recommend starting with Part One if this project is new to you, and If you liked Part One, you owe it yourself to hear Part Two.
Rating: 7/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist
- Cosmic Mess
- My Dream
- Dreamer in the Jailhouse
- All Hail
- The Argument
- Make Like a Breeze
- Overture Reprise
- I Hate My Brothers
- Guilty as Charged
- Reckoning
- Bring Ben
- Freedom Road
- The Brothers Repent Joseph Revealed
- Restoration
- Everlasting
- Dawning of a New Day (God Uses Everything for Good)
Band Members
Neal Morse – vocals, keyboards, guitars, drums & percussion
Eric Gillette – guitars, vocals, drums
Bill Hubauer – keyboards, vocals
Alan Morse / guitars, vocals
Gabe Klein – drums, keyboards
Sam Hunter – guitar
Gideon Klein – bass
Cast
Neal More – Joseph
Ted Leonard – Judah
Matt Smith – Reuben
Will Morse – Simeon
Mark Pogue – Jacob
Nick D’Virgilio – Baker
Ross Jennings – Butler
Talon David – Woman
Release Date: Jan. 2024
Record Label: Radiant Records
Social Media: Facebook / X (formerly twitter) / Instagram / YouTube
Video for “Cosmic Mess”
Video for “I Hate My Brothers”