{"id":34881,"date":"2013-11-17T08:15:27","date_gmt":"2013-11-17T13:15:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=34881"},"modified":"2014-02-08T08:38:51","modified_gmt":"2014-02-08T13:38:51","slug":"flying-colors-live-in-europe-cd-dvd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/flying-colors-live-in-europe-cd-dvd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Flying Colors | Live in Europe<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alissa Ordabai<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"FlyingLive footage of this recently hatched supergroup performing in Tilburg, Holland has been shot with unpretentious good taste. And it transparently shows that Steve Morse remains this outfit\u2019s main draw. His jazz fusion erudition may be somewhat too refined for today\u2019s prog-rock, but if there\u2019s one player who knows how to adapt, it\u2019s Morse. <\/p>\n

Careful not to grandstand, he and his old Dixie Dregs collaborator Dave LaRue subtly raise prog\u2019s game without sounding donnish. Their new bandmates Mike Portnoy, Texan singer and songwriter Casey McPherson, and Spock\u2019s Beard keyboardist Neal Morse all contribute with sincere love for the genre. But it\u2019s the guitarist and the bassist who give the outfit its sound and its depth. <\/p>\n

Opener \u201cBlue Ocean\u201d showcases the band in all its glory: the uplifting keys, the throbbing beat of the bass, Steve Morse\u2019s pinpoint-target fire shots, and the vocals by McPherson. A kind of voice that has enough detachment and affection mixed together for the buffs to instantly nod and say, \u201cProg at its coolest.\u201d<\/p>\n

A pop hook puts the icing on the cake and tells the Dutch crowd they are in for some first-class entertainment. Cleverly spaced instrumentation shapes the easy-on-the-ear sound, and Morse\u2019s spare leads (as opposed to his exuberant displays when he performs with G3) make the solos instantly accessible.<\/p>\n

On standout \u201cThe Storm\u201d he turns the plain-dealing pop-rock tune into such far-going, (yet economically played) head trip, you feel instantly transported. Not swept away, but gently shown how spare magic of a whiz player can carry away even the most straightforward song.<\/p>\n

And while the band\u2019s originals all have a unified prog-meets-fusion-meets-indie feel to them, when time comes for each member\u2019s back catalogue, things begin to take unexpected turns. Dixie Dregs\u2019 \u201cOdyssey\u201d gives a chance for each player to solo, but it\u2019s LaRue who makes a killing with his drifting, reality-bending extrapolations. On Dream Theatre\u2019s \u201cRepentance\u201d you initially mistake the intro for Pink Floyd\u2019s \u201cSet the Controls for the Heart of the Sun\u201d, but then roll out of it and go along with the tune\u2019s easy flow. <\/p>\n

The second half of the show relaxes its pace, and low-pressure balladry begins to replace leading-edge excursions. After all, despite all of its intelligence, this trip is about entertainment, not experimentation. And the crowd here loves every song of the show \u2013 from vigorous fusion, to languid prog, to even more languid ballads. The lucky formula of combining non-obsessive good time with sparingly dosed revelations continues to work wonders. <\/p>\n

Genre: Prog Rock, Indie Rock, Jazz Fusion<\/p>\n

Personnel:
\nSteve Morse \u2013 guitar
\nCasey McPherson \u2013 vocals, guitar
\nNeal Morse \u2013 keyboards, vocals
\nDave LaRue \u2013 bass
\nMike Portnoy \u2013 drums, vocals<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1. Blue Ocean
\n2. Shoulda Coulda Woulda
\n3. Love is What I\u2019m Waiting for
\n4. Can\u2019t Find a Way
\n5. The Storm
\n6. Odyssey
\n7. Forever in a Daze
\n8. Hallelujah
\n9. Better than Walking Away
\n10. Kayla
\n11. Fool in My Heart
\n12. Spur of the Moment
\n13. Repentance
\n14. June
\n15. All Falls Down
\n16. Everything Changes
\n17. Infinite<\/p>\n

Label: Mascot<\/p>\n

Online: www.flyingcolorsmusic.com<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 7\/10<\/p>\n