Review
The Neal Morse Band's fifth outing, L.I.F.T., was written and recorded in a brief alignment of schedules following drummer Mike Portnoy's high-profile return to Dream Theater. Built around a spiritual quest for belonging, the concept album scales back the sprawling length of the band’s previous double-LP behemoths, a structural choice critics suggest "makes the new album far easier to digest". Rich Mouser's clear engineering successfully balances a whirlwind of dueling keyboard-and-guitar attacks, string orchestrations, and gospel choir textures.
Musically, the record plays to the group’s established strengths, juxtaposing heavy, metal-edged tempos with soaring symphonic-rock choruses. While some critics found the songwriting "generic and overly religious," others praised the band's tireless technical ambition. As reviewer Eric Wilt notes, the group has "once again packed a 71-minute album with enough riffs, notes, time signatures, beautiful melodies, swirling solos, and heartfelt lyrics to last most bands two or three albums".
