MR

Any of you have Neal's "So U" CD yet?

I just picked mine up today.

I like it better than I thought that I would based on the sample clips.

No offense to Marco, but his vocals are not really what I prefer in most singers. His bass playing is great, though.

Neal really Rocks on most of the songs. And Deen kicks ass on the drums.
There are some great Hard-Rocking riffs from Neal.

I have it but haven't had a chance to give it a thorough listen yet.

Love tracks 5-8!

I have it, and like it pretty well.

There are things about it that remind me of a really great demo more than a full release. The mixing isn't the best, and sometimes the guitars are too far back or the overall sound is too low and muddy. I like Mendoza's voice and singing just fine for this kind of music, but there are moments where it is a bit over the top and a little less would be more. Some of Neal's solos don't impress much, which is no big deal except that when you are an axe man and release an album in your name, you should do your best to make the solos really stand out and impress if you are going to have one at all. There are a couple where the lyrics are weak and it distracts, and just a lot of minor things that having a good producer probably would have fixed and maybe this could have been a great album. I think there are some really good songs here and Deen definitely gets the MVP. Better attention to details like getting the performances, harmonies, and production qualities just right would have made this a great album. As it is, it is only a good album, and mostly enjoyable for what it is.

Majestic wrote:I have it, and like it pretty well.

There are things about it that remind me of a really great demo more than a full release. The mixing isn't the best, and sometimes the guitars are too far back or the overall sound is too low and muddy.

Agreed. The mixing was not done very well in my opinion.

Although, I've often thought that the guitar is buried in the mix on several of Neal's solo albums. Which is pretty bad, seeing as they are his albums.

Still on the fence about picking this one up. Alot of Neal's recent solo albums are just unfocused soloing w/ moments of genius. I'd prefer something like Late Nite or Beyond The Thunder.

The_Noble_Cause wrote:Still on the fence about picking this one up. Alot of Neal's recent solo albums are just unfocused soloing w/ moments of genius. I'd prefer something like Late Nite or Beyond The Thunder.

I think it's worth it for Serenity and Shelter alone.

The_Noble_Cause wrote:Still on the fence about picking this one up. Alot of Neal's recent solo albums are just unfocused soloing w/ moments of genius. I'd prefer something like Late Nite or Beyond The Thunder.

Beyond the Thunder is a damn good album. Great compositions and a nice 'world music' feel to it. Very easy to just get lost in it while listening.

Art Vandelay wrote:

The_Noble_Cause wrote:Still on the fence about picking this one up. Alot of Neal's recent solo albums are just unfocused soloing w/ moments of genius. I'd prefer something like Late Nite or Beyond The Thunder.

Beyond the Thunder is a damn good album. Great compositions and a nice 'world music' feel to it. Very easy to just get lost in it while listening.

Agreed. In the liner notes, Cain (who produced it) said he approached alot of the songs like Journey songs w/out lyrics. And it shows. It shows off Neal at his emotive best, but it's also tight and focused.

The_Noble_Cause wrote:

Art Vandelay wrote:

The_Noble_Cause wrote:Still on the fence about picking this one up. Alot of Neal's recent solo albums are just unfocused soloing w/ moments of genius. I'd prefer something like Late Nite or Beyond The Thunder.

Beyond the Thunder is a damn good album. Great compositions and a nice 'world music' feel to it. Very easy to just get lost in it while listening.

Agreed. In the liner notes, Cain (who produced it) said he approached alot of the songs like Journey songs w/out lyrics. And it shows. It shows off Neal at his emotive best, but it's also tight and focused.

See - I just went and listened to Beyond the Thunder again and couldn't get into it. Like Late Night and Voice a lot, though.

Eric wrote:

The_Noble_Cause wrote:Still on the fence about picking this one up. Alot of Neal's recent solo albums are just unfocused soloing w/ moments of genius. I'd prefer something like Late Nite or Beyond The Thunder.

I think it's worth it for Serenity and Shelter alone.

"Serenity" "Shelter" and "Exotica" are probably my 3 favorites on the album.