Tim Morse (4) – III

Renowned among progressive rock fans for Yes Stories, his acclaimed 1996 book about music legends YES, author and singer-songwriter Tim Morse gets back to his music roots with the 2018 CD release of III. The Northern California based composer has long been on the prog music scene and in 2015 he released the self-titled album by his band The Mangoes. That CD featured a number of other musicians including Mangoes' Bret Bingham, who also appear here on several tracks. Morse cites his work with the Mangoes as well other music influences like the band Field Music and the late great rock artist Kevin Gilbert. Speaking about the creation of III, Tim adds, “The challenge of playing all the instruments appealed to me, especially having to perform the drums. I’m not a drummer and so I had to do some wood-shedding to get it down. But I discovered in the demo process that I missed the input of others, so I decided to bring in some of my favorite musicians for cameo appearances. I did want to get to the emotional core of the songs, where the lyric and melody were very clear." With Tim’s keyboards and guitars receiving solid backing from a number of players including Bret Bingham, the songs themselves, and splendid keyboard-based arrangements are the real stars of the album. Perhaps the credits tell part of the story as well, with Tim mentioning his biggest influences including the late great rock legends Chris Squire and Keith Emerson along with the many fine musos who back him up throughout the seven track, 46 minute album. Progressive rock fans who enjoy catchy pop melodies and complex, uptempo arrangements will find much to like about Tim Morse III.