Testimony 2
Testimony 2 is a progressive rock concept album by Neal Morse (his eighth studio album). It was released on 23 May 2011, as a continuation of his first Christian prog album (Testimony) and contains three sections detailing the composer's life and conversion to Christianity. Neal returns with his normal solo-album bandmates Mike Portnoy and Randy George, but he also features many guests, including a vocal reunion of Spock's Beard in the song "Time Changer", which focuses on Neal's past with his original band.
| Testimony 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 23 May 2011 | |||
| Recorded | The Morse House, Nashville 2010/2011 | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 115:09 | |||
| Label | Metal Blade Radiant Records | |||
| Producer | Neal Morse | |||
| Neal Morse chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
The album comes with a second disc of unrelated original songs, one of which is the epic "Seeds Of Gold", featuring a guitar solo by Steve Morse. The Special Edition includes a third disc, a Making Of DVD which runs over 60 minutes and chronicles the writing and recording of this album.
Also released with the album is Neal's first book titled Testimony - The inspirational and spiritual journey of a prog rock musician.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Neal Morse.
Disc One
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mercy Street" | 5:12 |
| 2. | "Overture No. 4" | 5:26 |
| 3. | "Time Changer" | 6:08 |
| 4. | "Jayda" | 6:05 |
| Total length: | 22:51 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nighttime Collectors" | 4:26 |
| 2. | "Time Has Come Today" | 4:55 |
| 3. | "Jesus' Blood" | 5:27 |
| 4. | "The Truth Will Set You Free" | 8:07 |
| Total length: | 22:55 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chance of a Lifetime" | 7:02 |
| 2. | "Jesus Bring Me Home" | 4:59 |
| 3. | "Road Dog Blues" | 3:07 |
| 4. | "It's for You" | 5:42 |
| 5. | "Crossing Over/Mercy Street Reprise" | 11:46 |
| Total length: | 32:36 | |
Disc Two
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Absolute Beginner" | 4:41 |
| 2. | "Supernatural" | 6:12 |
| 3. | "Seeds of Gold" | 25:59 |
| Total length: | 36:52 | |
Disc Three (Special Edition)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Making of Testimony 2 DVD" | 64:28 |
Personnel
- Neal Morse - producer, composer, guitars, synth, piano, organ, vocals
- Mike Portnoy - drums
- Randy George - bass
Additional musicians
- Steve Morse - guitar solo on "Seeds of Gold"
- Paul Bielatowicz - guitar solo on "Overture No. 4" and "It's For You"
- Matthew Ward - background vocals and soulful wailing
- Debbie Bressee, April Zachary, Mark Pogue, Mita Pogue - background vocals
- Jim Hoke - saxophones
- Mark Leniger - solo saxophone
- Kenny Barnd - violin on "Jesus Bring Me Home"
- Chris Carmichael - violin, viola and cello on all of Disc One
- Eric Brenton - electric violin solo on "Time Changer"
- Nick D'Virgilio - vocals on "Time Changer"
- Alan Morse - vocals on "Time Changer"
- Dave Meros - vocals on "Time Changer"
Technical personnel
- Rich Mouser - mixing (CD1)
- Jerry Guidroz - mixing (CD2)
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[2] | 67 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[3] | 55 |
| US Christian Albums (Billboard)[4] | 46 |
References
- Heaney, Gregory (2011). "Testimony Two - Neal Morse | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Neal Morse – Testimony 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- "Officialcharts.de – Neal Morse – Testimony 2". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
- "Neal Morse Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 10 September 2014.