Troika
Cover art of the album
Studio album by
D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings
ReleasedFebruary 25, 2022 (2022-02-25)
Genre
[1]
Length59:58
LabelInsideOut
Nick D'Virgilio chronology
Invisible
(2020)		 Troika
(2022)
Neal Morse chronology
Innocence & Danger (w/ The Neal Morse Band)
(2021)		 Troika
(2022)
Ross Jennings chronology
A Shadow of My Future Self
(2021)		 Troika
(2022)

Troika is a collaborative album by progressive rock/metal musicians Nick D'Virgilio (Big Big Train, ex-Spock's Beard), Neal Morse (The Neal Morse Band, Transatlantic, Flying Colors, ex-Spock's Beard) and Ross Jennings (Haken, Novena) under the moniker D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings. It was released through InsideOut Music on February 25, 2022.

Background

The album was envisioned by Neal Morse, who wanted to create acoustic songs with vocal harmonies. He first thought of his former Spock's Beard mate Nick D'Virgilio, and then they considered Ross Jennings for the third voice.[2][3] Jennings commented that people shouldn't expect a "Spock's Beard meets Haken" album, and the trio has compared itself to Crosby, Stills and Nash.[2][4]

The album was officially announced in September 2021.[3][5] In November 29 they teased the first single "Julia";[4] the song was later released on December 21, 2021, alongside the announcement of the album's release date. "Julia" was written by Jennings as a 8-minute epic, which was later shortened by Morse.[6][7]

The second single, "Everything I Am", came on January 11, 2022. It was written by Morse "one morning when my wife was having a bad day and it's about how no matter what happens our lives are fully intertwined no matter what."[8][9][10] The third single, "You Set My Soul on Fire", was written by D'Virgilio and came out on February 8.[11][12]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Sonic Perspectives8.8[1]

Scott Medina, on Sonic Perspectives, commented that "to some degree, the project has already realized its potential within the course of one minute. The rest is just icing." He criticized the song order, believing that the first half was "much more acoustic-based and the rockers coming towards the latter half, making for a confusing listening experience. Mixing it up more could have made for a better-rounded presentation of the range of the material." He ultimately said that the trio "let their voices run wild in joy as if they had been let out on recess from their day jobs."[1]

Track listing

Troika track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Everything I Am"Neal Morse5:43
2."Julia"Ross Jennings, Morse6:07
3."You Set My Soul on Fire"Nick D'Virgilio3:22
4."One Time Less"Morse4:53
5."Another Trip Around the Sun"Jennings4:39
6."A Change Is Gonna Come"Morse4:24
7."If I Could"D'Virgilio4:02
8."King for a Day"Jennings5:47
9."Second Hand Sons"Morse4:43
10."My Guardian"D'Virgilio3:43
11."What You Leave Behind"Morse4:16
Bonus
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Julia" (alternative version)Jennings8:19
Total length:59:58

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Troika
Chart (2022) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 38
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] 83

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Medina, Scott (February 9, 2022). "D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings – Troika (Album Review)". Sonic Perspectives. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  2. 1 2 Boardman, Mark (February 10, 2022). "NICK D'VIRGILIO Tells How He, NEAL MORSE and ROSS JENNINGS Arranged Beautiful Music on "Troika" Album: We Trusted Our Voices Will Blend Well Together, and Months Went By Before We Listened to the Three Of Us Together in a Track"". Sonic Perspectives. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings team up for 2022 album release". Prog. Future plc. September 15, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Ewing, Jerry (November 29, 2021). "D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings release first teaser video". Prog. Future plc. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  5. ↑ Michels, Alexandra (September 15, 2021). "D'VIRGILIO, MORSE & JENNINGS - Debütalbum "Troika" kommt Anfang 2022". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  6. ↑ "NICK D'VIRGILIO, NEAL MORSE & ROSS JENNINGS To Release Debut Album In February; "Julia" Music Video Streaming". Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles. December 6, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  7. ↑ Bauer, Simon (December 3, 2021). "D'VIRGILIO, MORSE & JENNINGS - 'Julia'-Single vom "Troika"-Debüt im Video". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  8. ↑ Ewing, Jerry (January 11, 2022). "D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings release video for uplifting new single Everything I Am". Prog. Future plc. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  9. ↑ Michels, Alexandra (January 11, 2022). "D'VIRGILIO, MORSE & JENNINGS - 'Everything I Am' vom "Troika"-Album ausgekoppelt". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  10. ↑ Ricco, Stefano (January 11, 2022). "Nick D'Virgilio, Neal Morse, Ross Jennings, disponibile il video di 'Everything I Am', secondo singolo del nuovo disco, 'Troika'". Metal Hammer Italia (in Italian). Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  11. ↑ Ewing, Jerry (February 8, 2022). "D'Virgilio, Morse & Jennings release video for gentle new single You Set My Soul On Fire". Prog. Future plc. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  12. ↑ Michels, Alexandra (February 9, 2022). "D'VIRGILIO, MORSE & JENNINGS - 'You Set My Soul On Fire'-Clip ist online". Rock Hard (in German). Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – D'Virgilio / Morse / Jennings – Troika" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – D'Virgilio / Morse / Jennings – Troika". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
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