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Arrival
Journey
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"Arrival," marks the 18th overall release for one of Rock's biggest super groups and with it, several changes since first reuniting for '96s "Trial By Fire." In some five years, the addition of two new members, a "Behind the Music" special and rediscovery of their roots, Journey's definitely not your average geezer band looking for the quick cash-in. From the onset, a couple of quick distinctions can be made for this go round. Notably, two new crew members climb aboard for this latest musical trek, they being veteran drummer Deen Castronovo, who replaces longtime core-member Steve Smith, and vocalist Steve Augeri, previously known for his work from the "short" lived Tall Stories several years back, replaces longtime favorite Steve Perry. Augeri brings in a similarly soulful and deep delivery that's slightly more polished then Perry and in fact is more reminiscent of an earlier version if anything. Fear not all ye faithful this is not going to be a parallel of what Boston's painful "Walk On" was a while back. While the band has evolved several times over in their twenty-plus year existence, the music has remained consistent and true to their strengths. Here we find the band reverting back to their earlier days with a more raw and less commercial sounding record, certainly not folksy, experimental or progressive, but simply more guitar-driven and Rock-based with less of the Pop attraction of the platinum years, without tarnishing their prized sing-along qualities. Of the fifteen overall tracks, of which there are about six too many, there's about a fifty-fifty split of Hard Rock anthems and revealing ballads. "Higher Place," a high-flying "Only The Young" style opener makes for a great lead single, as have their many opening album tracks, only here, the listener, still perplexed at the vaguely familiar voice heard early on, makes way through the lyric booklet to reveal all is as it once was… or will be again. "All The Way," clocks in second and right away there's something a little different about what we're used to in spite of this being a ballad, it's got a more earthy and adult feel to it than before-in fact it may be surmised that the record in general is a more mature-sounding result than in years past-no better, nor worse at this point. "All The Things," "Livin' To Do," and "World Gone Wild" chart some impressive territory by mid point-the last being among the later additions to the record to bring in a more Rock-based focus. "Livin' To Do" possesses a gritty and unexpected Blue-based feel, which goes along well with the rest. Toward the latter half of the record there's not much to get too excited over-just a lot of mid-tempo/ballad heavy ramblings that seem to get dour rather quickly but things pick up near the end-thankfully. "To Be Alive Again," and "Kiss Me Softly" are two power ballads that draw on Augeri's worked up vocal prowess and fall in with the more harmonious of the set while the closer "We Will Meet Again" harkens back to the late '70s / early '80s material recalling titles like "Infinity," or maybe "Departure." "Arrival," for all its new representations of a classic band's continuing "journey," maintains the passion and poise that has long been their calling card. While it does sound a bit "tired" and could use a little more life in the choral department, "Arrival" is a solid effort that suffers through no evident mid-life crisis. Released by Columbia Records Review by Vinnie Apicella
[va85@columbia.edu] |