Sola Gratia (album)
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| Sola Gratia | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 11, 2020 | |||
| Recorded | April 2020 | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock,[1][2][3] Progressive Metal | |||
| Length | 65:41[4] | |||
| Label | Inside Out | |||
| Neal Morse chronology | ||||
| ||||
Sola Gratia (Latin for "grace alone"[3]) is the eleventh studio album by American progressive rock vocalist, keyboardist and guitarist Neal Morse, released on September 11, 2020.[5] It marks his return to Inside Out Music.[5]
Recorded in April 2020, it is a concept album about Paul the Apostle, focusing on the period from his persecution of early Christians[5] to his conversion.[1][6]
The album was released as a limited CD/DVD Digipak (with Making-of video footage), a Gatefold double LP and CD, a standard CD jewel case and on digital platforms.[5] It was debuted live during his annual MorseFest event in September 2020.[5]
Three singles were released from the album, each of them with an accompanying video: "In the Name of the Lord",[7] "Seemingly Sincere" (dealing with the stoning of Saint Stephen; video directed by Christian Rios of Ray of Light Films)[8] and "Building a Wall".[9]
Morse started to write the album during some time off in New Zealand after touring in Australia, and the idea of writing something about Paul the Apostle had been suggested by several people in the past.[6]
According to Morse, the title of the album was inadvertently suggested by his wife. She said he should do a new "solo" album, but he heard "sola" album. Morse then saw some connections between this album and Sola Scriptura, due to both dealing with themes of persecution, and decided to name it Sola Gratia.[5]
Although all the Neal Morse Band members perform on the album, Morse chose to release it as a solo effort instead because he wrote and recorded most of the material alone, while albums released with the band are usually created in a more collaborative manner.[5][3] Most instruments not played by Morse were recorded remotely, a first for him and his band,[10] except for the strings and choirs, which were done in loco.[6]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Neal Morse[2][6]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Preface" | 1:26 |
| 2. | "Overture" | 5:59 |
| 3. | "In the Name of the Lord" | 4:27 |
| 4. | "Ballyhoo (The Chosen ones)" | 2:43 |
| 5. | "March of the Pharisees" | 1:40 |
| 6. | "Building a Wall" | 5:01 |
| 7. | "Sola Intermezzo" | 2:10 |
| 8. | "Overflow" | 6:27 |
| 9. | "Warmer Than the Sunshine" | 3:22 |
| 10. | "Never Change" | 7:52 |
| 11. | "Seemingly Sincere" | 9:34 |
| 12. | "The Light on the Road to Damascus" | 3:26 |
| 13. | "The Glory of the Lord" | 6:17 |
| 14. | "Now I Can See / The Great Commission" | 5:17 |
| Total length: | 65:41[4] | |
