Neal Morse’s Christian faith has been an important part of his music since his conversion more than 20 years ago. When the members of the Neal Morse Band got busy with other projects, Morse formed another new band with players 20 to 30 years his junior and a new name, The Resonance.
Their first album, No Hill for a Climber, includes five songs and clocks in at over an hour with two of the songs, “Eternity in Your Eyes” and the title track accounting for the vast majority of that time. The title and central metaphor of the album is the ambiguous phrase, “no hill for a climber.” At the beginning of the 30-minute-long title track the narrator finds himself in a valley looking at a mountain and realizes he had no way to ascend. By the end he has accepted the grace of God and finds that he can clearly see that climbing the mountain, with God’s help, is very possible. The music and the text are uplifting.
Like the best progressive rock, the music ebbs and flows with soaring melodies and virtuosic playing returning to musical motifs heard earlier (like good symphonic music). The new players (including outstanding second lead vocalist, Johnny Bisaha) are more than up to the task. No Hill for a Climber is a great first effort from the Resonance. (InsideOutMusic)
About the Author
Robert J. Keeley is a professor of education emeritus at Calvin University and leads music at 14th St. Christian Reformed Church in Holland, Mich.