Alan Morse – So Many Words

Alan Morse is the guitarist for Spock’s Beard, a progressive rock band he founded with his brother Neal Morse in the early 90es. A lifetime musician, Alan can play almost any stringed instrument, recorded and performed on sitar, bouzouki, mandolin, pedal steel and slide guitar, electric sitar, cello, bass and even the musical saw and theremin.

(Self) released on January 22, 2026, So Many Words is his sophomore solo album stands out because Alan handles the vast majority of the lead vocals himself, stepping out from his traditional role as the guitarist and co-founder of Spock’s Beard. Although he does most of the hard work himself, he gets a little help from the current and former Beard bandmates, indlucing his brother Neal Morse, Jimmy Keegan, Nick D’Virgilio, Dave Meros, Ted Leonard and Ryo Okomuto. And in addition Tony Levin and master drummer Simon Phillips.

First thing noticable on Alan Morse’s sophomore 11-tracker album, So Many Words, is its fresh, melodic, and highly accessible prog-rock approach. Still now, after three additional spiuns, this record feels personal and exploratory, the kind of release where expectations of genre boundaries are quietly ignored in favor of following instinct. Thus, Mr. Alan More & Co. incorporates and makes a fusion of jazzy, blues, progressive and straightforward power-pop elements, while its core remains deeply rooted in songwriting and melody, with a strong rock backbone and a human/natural feel throughout.

Much of the album features guitar-based hard rock, pop, jazz and blues. It’s varied, intuitive and very personal collection of eleven songs and an hour of playing time. The vocals are nice, clean and gritty – delivering the big hooks and melodies. Apart from the very strong vocals, the sound on So Many Words features, many powerful instrumental moments, tasty guitar crunches, world-class rhythm bass sections, numerous addictive solos, and accompanying very fine keyboard and synth work.

When it comes to the atmosphere; this time it’s in stark contrast to the massive, complex symphonic prog suites of Spock’s Beard. In other words; So Many Words carries a much more personal, relaxed, and pastoral vibe. The cover artwork was created by the art entity ‘Cash Dungeon:Art‘, playing heavily on stark contrast. It utilizes a selective-coloring aesthetic where the backdrop and surrounding layout remain entirely in monochrome black and white, while Alan Morse himself and his guitar are highlighted in vibrant, striking color on the back-cover.

Two tracks were co-written with Alan’s brother Neal. The first, “I Don’t Want to Travel Time If It Takes Forever” is an absolute winner, featuring a highly entertaining lyrics and standout musicianship. It’s an upbeat and catchy song, leaning into pop rock sensibility. The second Neal co-composition, “Shadow of the Sun” is the album’s signature enjoyable ballad tune, carried by strong vocal harmonies and classic songwriting instincts. The closing track “Behind Me” is another excellent song, which ends this great album in a progtastic way with an epic and layered female choir arrangement.

So Many Words is well worth a listen, so if you like the music that bridges classic prog elements with straightforward power-pop, blues, and hard rock sensibilities, look no further then to Alan Morse and his sophomore solo album So Many Words at his bandcamp.