Journey just hasn't been the same since Steve Perry split. He wasn't their first vocalist, but he was the iconic one, and once they went their "separate ways, worlds apart", it pretty much put the dagger into the heart of
AOR's most successful and copied band.
The
Journey incarnation of the 2000s has been a decent one. "Arrival" sounded like an album they would do and was enjoyable in its own right but this time around they have done the unthinkable. Every musician gets a turn to sing, and it kinda ruins the whole vibe of the disc. You have on one hand, these very well done songs that are well suited to the outfit, and in the other fist are these weird tunes that just don't gel. It's like combining the "real" cd with a sideproject that's way off the beaten path and fusing the two together into one extravagant mess. Why this was done is a confusing thing. There's really no reason for them to try and appeal to mass audiences anymore. The sad fact is that most people think
Journey ended their run sometime in the early 80s and are not even aware of the "Trial By Fire" album much less anything that came afterwards. Could it be to give them some material to hit up to give Perry replacement, Steve Augeri, a break during their neverending concerts? Perhaps the world will never know.
I kept waiting to be just plastered on my ass by complete
AOR awesomeness and instead just kept thinking
"ya know, that's pretty good". Sure, that's acceptable for all the bands trying to rip this one off but for THE band, it's kind of underwhelming. You go in expecting killer and are instead treated to alright. The ballads still give your arse a fine whooping of emotional weepiness but there are holes elsewhere to be found.
"Every Generation" is fairly run of the mill and boring. I started zoning out around the guitar solo, proving that Jonathan Cain has no business singing here. For the next questionably daft track, you just have to ask yourself the following question: Who put Kenny Wayne Shephard on a
Journey CD? This one, aptly titled
"Gone Crazy" is self prophetic. Russ Valory sings this absymal tragedy, in this terrible monotone that must have been stuck through some filter because it has this metallic, processed quality about it that is disturbing and comes off sterile and cold, not a good pairing for a hard-nailed bluesy number. It *so* does NOT belong here.
"Self Defense" with Neal Schon singing also makes no sense. It's a party type rocker that's more like a forgotten, lost, and buried
Van Halen track. Sure, having Neal do vocals on a track or two seems more reasonable than some of the others, since he was crooner for that Schon/Hammer collaboration in the 80s, but this kinda proves why that didn't go anywhere either. He tries again with
"Better Together", but don't let the title fool you, it really isn't better together. It's nothing special and grates on the nerves since it tries to restrain itself but still comes off as being like a B-side for an early 80s butt rock band.
Deen Castronovo however, knocks one out of the ballpark with
"A Better Life", which actually fits the style of the disc, and about time too. Melodic guitars tumbling over one another and an "ah" sound to the vocals that's very much Perry-esque. Who knew this drummer could sing so well? They could have saved themselves a couple of bucks and just thrown him behind the mic, but I guess the other three would have been fighting him for that spotlight all the way and the resulting disaster would have relegated them to B-listed forever after.
Deen was also tossed the bonus track which the Americans will likely never get to hear, and it's a shame because it pops out of the disc as one of the leaders in quality and most like the band it's supposed to represent.
"It's Never Too Late" is like vintage
Journey mixed with
Night Ranger (Jack Blades did co-write this one), a crisp and ultra melodic blend that boasts one of the most powerful choruses on "Generations".
The other highlights however are the times when the album gets to shine, and that's when Steve is behind the mic, where he should be, although I wouldn't mind a few more Castronovo songs either. Even one of the more mundane pieces, the casual and light,
"Butterfly" flies on more enduring wings than the throwaway junk that the rest of the band appears on. So we waited how many years for this again? Oh wait,
"Butterfly" is Augeri's pet, since he wrote it and brings it to life, and while not what you would expect from these guys, it has this nice mellow, moody vibe that offsets some of the disappointments on the album.
Plus the album starts off with a double bang on the kinda corny
"Faith in the Heartland", which sounds like a big, bold
AOR number, but the lyrics are cheese and then the much better
"The Place In Your Heart" which is classic
Journey all the way. The manner in which Augeri croons the title with a sizzling soulful passion for the chorus is kinda reminiscent of
Jorn Lande, with its bluesy depth undertones. But there's more good stuff, like
"Knowing That You Love Me" which is a huge arena rock ballad number that isn't mindblowing but is good in its own right. Expect better, and they deliver, with one of the latter tracks, the lovely
"Beyond the Clouds", which is soulful and very well done.
"Believe" is another oddity, being too long, too drawn out and just not hitting with any kind of emotional intensity or even interest. It just drones on and on and never reaches any kind of climax.
"Out of Harms Way" is more aggressive and upfront with Steve backing off into this rippling smooth vocal for the downer side of the chorus. The rest of the track let's him use more force and grit than others and it fits well with expectations in an "Edge of the Blade" kind of way.
Journey... so how can this be fixed for the next album which we can probably anticipate to hit in the next four-to-five years judging by their track record so far? Well, lesse. For one, send everyone back to being contained as backup vocalists and playing their instruments and keep them far away from the mic. If someone needs to pinch hit or just break up the flow a bit, then stick with Deen. No one else has any business being in the lead spot here. It doesn't matter if that individual has twenty solo albums under their belt, this is freakin'
Journey. Sing on your own projects, but stay out of this band's vocal spotlight, hmmK? There's also a distinct lack of keyboards here. Plenty of Schon fueled guitar, but the keys take a backseat most of the time. They need to be cranked up to eleven. The choruses and melodies also need overhauling, since there's a drought of catchy stuff here. In fact, only a handful of tunes really reel you in and warrant replays.
So the final verdict? "Generations" is a real mixed bag. If "Arrival" was the mid tempo stuff music wet dreams for fanboys are made of, then this will still leave a glowing question mark over your confused head. It just doesn't seem like
Journey most of the time and after four years, I'm afraid we hoped for something grand and memorable, not uninteresting and even dodgy at moments. Augeri's material is a plus and goes a long way to mending bridges, and Castronovo's performances are a pleasant surprise. But face it, what on board here could be considered enduring? Not a single track approaches the timelessness of "Lights", "I'll Be Alright Without You', or even "Girl Can't Help It". It just isn't happening here.
Fans already own this or it's on its way, but for those that only buy a handful of
AOR albums each year...I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but there are much better and more cohesive albums in the genre even from just this year that are available out there and more worthy of your hard earned cash. What a change that is from the 80s when you could pretty much depend on a CD from this outfit being *the* highlight of that calendar year. Disappointing.
Written by
Alanna Tuesday, August 30, 2005
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