Steve Morse, Steve Morse Band - Split Decision

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Music reviews of Split Decision

Music Review: Very different...but still solid
Rating: 4 Stars

This record is much different than anything I have heard out of him. Overall the record is much simpler than the rest of his work, emphasizing his melodic blues chops when not displaying his softer side with lush acoustic layers and layering of clean guitars - few do this better, by the way. About half the album is mid-tempo or slower ballads, immediately bringing to mind his 1989 solo effort, "High Tension Wires". But this is Steve Morse, so you can expect that most of the songs rock out pretty well at one point or another...it's just that it's a little more subtle. A good thing? I think probably so.

There's a ton a variety on this album, from the hooky opening track which sort of had me waiting for the vocals to come in (HA HA just kidding Steve!), to the one tune where he decides to knock your socks completely off from start to finish, "Mechanical Frenzy". Most of the songs on the first half of the record start with a softer intro part and then morph into something that really moves. The aptly named "Gentle flower, Hidden Beast", for instance, starts out with a Santana feel to it and then rocks into a classic Morse anthem.

It's interesting to note that the album he did before this was Major Impacts - which for the uninitiated, was an album of original music written in the vein of several different infulential artists. That record definitely left a mark on this one, with some of the influences on that record shining through loud and clear - like the Leslie West/Mountain parts in the title track.

There was some things that I had never really heard him do before, like a Shrapnel Records-sounding electric duet in "Busybodies". He uses a LOT of different tones on the record, too; much more than I've ever heard.

One of the great things about Morse as a musician (and a person in general) is that he loves to learn new things and adapt them to what he is doing. This record shows that he really wants to keep changing and improving...so even if the record wasn't really good, which it is, it would be a lot of fun to listen to someone of his compositional and playing ability explore a lot of new and different things.

I guess the record missed the fifth star -heresy!- due to the simple fact that I'd prefer a little less of the softer, more lush stuff and acoustic blues. That boils down to my preferences; I guess I just don't "get it" so much. Having said that, I do think that nobody-and I mean nobody!-does emotive instrumental ballads better ("Four Minutes to Live" from Stressfest still brings tears to my eyes)...but perhaps it's too much of one thing. Your mileage may vary, though, you know?

All in all, a great album with lots of cool stuff to explore. Bottom line: Get this one - especially if you have High Tension Wires and/or Major Impacts.

Description of Split Decision

With "SPLIT DECISION", his ninth album as the Steve Morse Band (his second project for Magna Carta) this guitarist's guitarist has once again proven that true musical veterans don't rest on their laurels. Steve Morse continues to explore and discover, reach and attain.

"I try to have some variety in every album," Steve explains. "For instance, I like to choose themes or beginning of songs that are several years old, as well as the more recent ones. So it's all new to someone who hasn't heard it." Steve composes constantly. It's what he does. More so, what he is. "I can find ideas anywhere. In fact, I have so many that I can't locate all of them. I used to record motifs on cassettes and now they're scattered all over my house and studio." Lucky for us; his prolific output is guaranteed for decades to follow.

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