L.I.F.T. by The Neal Morse Band, 2026.
A band that I love and of which I have spoken a lot on the occasion of the reviews of all their studio works.
L.I.F.T. was released on February 27, 2026 by InsideOut Music. This progressive rock concept album represents a significant change for the band, who left Neal's Radiant Studios in Nashville to move to Eric Gillette's studio in Oklahoma. The choice was made to allow Gillette to be close to her newborn. This new environment influenced the sound, making it more "lively" and less tied to the patterns of previous records, while maintaining the typical characteristics of the band, such as the five-voice vocal harmonies and keyboard fugues.
The band had to work with little time available due to Mike Portnoy's commitments with Dream Theater. The members found themselves without ready-made material and created the entire concept album from scratch during the first days of recording.
The album sees the return of the classic line-up that has characterized the band since its debut in 2015. The lineup has remained unchanged, with Neal Morse (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals), Randy George (bass), Eric Gillette (guitar, vocals) and Bill Hubauer (keyboards, vocals). After the interlude of Innocence & Danger (2021), a collection of separate songs, L.I.F.T. marks the band's return to the cohesive concept album. Unlike the two volumes of The Similitude, inspired by a pre-existing literary work (The Christian's Pilgrim), L.I.F.T. is an original story created together by the band. As in The Grand Experiment (2015), the material was born entirely in the studio from scratch, giving life to a mixture between the technical complexity of the first works and the more accessible song structure of recent years.
Unlike the more linear or allegorical concepts of the past, L.I.F.T. explores psychological and spiritual themes under the title "The Belonging". The protagonist goes through a complete life cycle: from the initial connection with the world to the despair of loneliness, arriving at a "cry for help" that leads to a spiritual rebirth. Neal Morse described the album as an attempt to express man's innate desire to feel part of something bigger, making the message less "didactic" and more emotional than his previous works. L.I.F.T.'s lyrics reflect Morse's deep Christian faith, but with a more intimate and less "preachy" approach than his solo works, focusing on universal themes of suffering and redemption.
The album is full of spiritual references. It is dedicated to Jesus Christ, referred to as the source of inspiration, and "the One who lifts" the soul. While Morse is the main writer, the whole band, including Portnoy and Gillette, is grateful for the "divine guidance" received during the creation, which took place in just seven days in Oklahoma. Finally, the band addresses those who are experiencing a difficult time, inviting them to let go of shame and rediscover their spiritual value.
This massive and epic progressive rock album alternates moments of extreme power with passages of pure melody. It blends classic 70s prog rock, inspired by Genesis and Kansas, with the energy of hard rock and progressive metal. Gospel and pop-prog influences give a sunny and theatrical atmosphere to some songs.
A trademark of the band, the five-voice vocal harmonies, are further refined here. All members contribute vocals, creating complex choral interweaving and verse exchanges between Morse, Hubauer and Gillette. The album ranges from acoustic and introspective ballads to heavy and frenetic songs, real metal pieces that highlight the influence of the drummer.
Recurring musical themes appear in the Overture ("Beginning") and are reworked throughout the album. The synergy on keyboards by Morse and Hubauer, along with the rhythm section led by Mike Portnoy with great use of odd time signatures, is remarkable.
There is no shortage of progressive fusion, complex multi-part vocal counterpoints and keyboard lines reminiscent of the Gentle Giant of the 70s, a style that Neal Morse had previously introduced with Spock's Beard. Bill Hubauer's presence and his use of orchestral synth textures, combined with five-voice harmonies, are often reminiscent of the majesty of Kansas.
The keyboard technique often reminded me of Supertramp, with that classic electric piano, incisive but melodic, with an almost syncopated touch and an enthralling pace.
The album opens with "Beginning", an instrumental overture that introduces the recurring themes that will characterize the album. The rhythm section, with Mike Portnoy and Randy George, is immediately in evidence with its complexity.
"Fully Alive" is a pop-prog song with gospel elements. The vocal interplay between Neal Morse, Bill Hubauer and Eric Gillette is beautiful, alternating in the solo parts. Gillette stands out with the first guitar solo of the album.
"I Still Belong" is a short melodic ballad reminiscent of the Kansas style. "Gravity's Grip", on the other hand, is a short prog rock instrumental passage.
"Hurt People" is a progressive metal track, the heaviest track on the album, with a beautiful solo by Eric Gillette and an aggressive Portnoy in Dream Theater style.
"The Great Withdrawal" features impressive backing vocals and a great guitar solo.
"Contemplation" is a short instrumental interlude with a classical piano part by Bill Hubauer.
"Shame About My Shame" contains a very virtuoso guitar solo by Gillette that extends for most of the song, with Floydian atmospheres.
"Reaching" is a very driving rock track with beautiful vocal harmonies and one of Gillette's most beautiful guitar solos.
"Carry You Again" begins as an acoustic ballad and evolves into an epic atmosphere.
"Shattered Barricade" is a short instrumental transition announcing "Fully Alive, Pt. 2", a sunnier reprise of the main theme.
"Love All Along" is the epic suite that closes the album, in perfect NMB style, with symphonic and acoustic passages and an imposing finale that rediscovers all the musical themes of the record.
Beautiful record, which cannot be missing in the collection of fans of this band with always very high standards but which does not introduce anything really new, which is not bad if we consider that we are talking about a supergroup of stratospheric musicians, but not positive in a world of progressive rock that evolves, always asks for something innovative, a challenge accepted with courage by many emerging bands that in this way really get involved. Excellent album, not excelled also because of the cover, undoubtedly not on a par with the beautiful covers of the previous albums.
My Version
Label: Inside Out Music – IOM765, Sony Music – 19802987221
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: Europe
Release date: 27 Feb 2026
Tracklist
Side A
BEGINNING
FULLY ALIVE
I STILL BELONG
Side B
GRAVITY'S GRIP
HURT PEOPLE
THE GREAT WITHDRAWAL
CONTEMPLATION
Side C
SHAME ABOUT MY SHAME
REACHING
CARRY YOU AGAIN
Side D
SHATTERED BARRICADE
FULLY ALIVE PART 2
LOVE ALL ALONG
Duration 71 Min.
LineUp
Neal Morse: vocals, keyboards and acoustic guitar
Mike Portnoy: drums and vocals
Eric Gillette: lead guitar and vocals
Bill Hubauer: keyboards and vocals
Randy George: bass
Link for listening:
You can listen to the full album or the singles extracted at the following links:
Some Tracks from The Official Youtube Channel The Neal Morse Band
Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists"
