Steve Morse Band : Triangulation Review

By Steven Miller

With Triangulation, the Steve Morse Band delivers an album that prioritizes structural compositional intent and agile playing. While Steve Morse’s virtuosity is never in question, what stands out across these nine tracks is how carefully the material is built. Each selection has a groove-first foundation, interesting flow of articulated sections, and solo spaces that feel like an extension of the composition. This is an album that rewards attentive listening, particularly for musicians interested in how form, texture, and interaction shape high-level instrumental rock music.

From the opening track, Triangulation establishes a consistent approach. “Break Through” sets the template with its layered form and multiple feels, highlighting Dave LaRue’s bass as a melodic partner with Morse. The bass-and-guitar tutti figures are beautifully performed. Rock riffs evolve into contrapuntal exchanges rather than static vamps. Harmonics are used sparingly but effectively, embedded into breakdown sections where bass and guitar punctuate the texture rather than dominate it. The influence of Bach is present as a practical organizing principle reflected in the music’s independent lines, clearly voiced layers, and rhythmic separation of counterpoints.

“Off the Cuff” shifts the focus toward a blues-based shuffle with a southern-rock inflection. Morse’s crunchy, overtone-rich tone sits comfortably in the mix, and the call-and-response melody establishes a conversational framework early on. Ascending figures are used strategically to build energy across sections, while the solo unfolds in stages. Morse’s solo begins with expressive bends and riffs before moving into faster, alternate-picked lines. LaRue’s bass solo adds welcome contrast, combining slap and pop techniques with upper-register phrasing that maintains the groove rather than interrupting it. Ensemble interludes are dispersed throughout the solo form, reinforcing the sense of composition over jam-session looseness.

“TexUS,” featuring Eric Johnson, is an example of tone-based arrangement. Morse dials in a more singing, reverberant sound to complement Johnson’s characteristically smooth, saturated voice. The contrast between the two players is well-managed: Johnson favors long pentatonic lines and chordal embellishments, while Morse responds with quicker lines, vocal bends, and melodic figures that emphasize articulation and attack. LaRue and Van Romaine remain tightly locked, providing a stable rhythmic framework that allows the guitar dialogue to unfold without clutter.

“The Unexpected” leans more heavily into rhythmic design. Clean guitar tones establish an initial sense of openness, while shifting meters are introduced in a way that feels functional rather than showy. As the track develops, Morse brings in warmer distortion and more assertive melodic material, grounding the rhythmic complexity in a rock-oriented backbeat during the central section. The influence of the Dixie Dregs is evident here, particularly in how time-signature changes are integrated into the melodic flow instead of sitting on top of it.

“March of the Nomads” emphasizes layered guitar writing and ensemble coordination. Multiple guitar lines are stacked to create density, while Scott Sim’s bass playing remains articulate and precise. The interlude builds gradually into a tightly voiced tutti section between bass and guitar, after which Morse introduces additional guitar lines to form a three-part counterpoint. The solo section returns to a southern-rock groove, with Morse leaning into expressive bends, pick harmonics, and fluid scalar passages that feel fully integrated into the track’s architecture.

“Ice Breaker” opens with a rising figure before settling into one of the album’s most pronounced grooves. Funk and southern rock intersect here, with harmonized guitar parts adding thickness to selected phrases. Call-and-response figures between rhythmic and melodic elements keep the arrangement active, while a baroque-style middle section highlights the band’s precision in ensemble writing. Van Romaine’s drumming deserves special attention in the final build, where his fills drive momentum without obscuring the underlying pulse.

“Tumeni Partz” is a comprehensive statement of Morse’s compositional style. The composition moves fluidly between dense and open textures, using feel changes and rhythmic displacement to maintain forward motion. Bass and guitar interact constantly, shifting roles between unison, counterpoint, and rhythmic contrast. Rather than relying on a single climactic arc, the track sustains interest through continuous variation, making it particularly compelling for listeners focused on long-form structure and development.

The title track, “Triangulation,” introduces a pronounced groove for two guitar masters to explore. Hearing Morse and John Petrucci alternate melodic statements highlights their distinct approaches to melody. Their individual identities meld together to create a powerful musical expression. The arrangement keeps the focus on interaction rather than competition, with the rhythm section maintaining energy throughout.

“Taken by an Angel” closes the album with nylon-string guitars, keyboards, and layered textures that blend classical influences with southern-rock sensibilities. Strummed guitars add rhythmic warmth, while harmonized lines reinforce Morse’s long-standing interest in voice-leading and melodic balance. It’s a restrained ending that emphasizes composition and tone.

Taken as a whole, Triangulation is a study in controlled guitarisms. The album succeeds not because of how much technique is on display, but because of how consistently that technique is placed in service of form, groove, and ensemble expression. The album demonstrates how Morse’s stylistic hybridity is his most enduring strength. For longtime Steve Morse fans, he plays with consistent passion through a set of music that thoughtfully builds around his legacy of sounds.