JOURNEY: Generations

Cover	Release	Style
	2005-08-29	melodic rock / aor
	Label
	www.frontiers.it
	Website
	www.journeymusic.com
	Contact

	Playing Time	Cat. N°
	69:18	FR CD 254 / FR CD 254-E
	Review by	Rating
	Reggie	9/10
nederlands	Review

Journey is a band that has achieved cult-status all over the world, especially in America. With every new album there is an incredible amount of hype doing the rounds, and the band always has to live up to this, to please their fans. Talk about a stressful situation! Somehow, however, they always succeeded doing exactly that. After they disbanded in 1986, they released “Trial by Fire” to much critical acclaim, some 10 years later. This would be the last album with singer Steve Perry. For the next CD, they recruited Steve Augeri. His voice turned out to be almost exactly the same as Steve Perry’s. That fact, together with the incredible compositions on “Arrival”, made the new album one of the best the band had ever made. “Generations” is the new album for 2005, played with the same line-up as “Arrival”, but can it live up to the expectations? Playing “Generations” for the first time, reveals a lot of changes. For starters, the album is produced by Kevin Elson, who produced most of their CD’s in the eighties, and also has worked with icons like Europe, Nightranger, Mr. Big, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Aerosmith and Michael Jackson. The music of “Generations” sounds a lot less polished, and definitely has more of a live-feel to it, when compared to “Arrival”. It’s a matter of taste, really, and some people will prefer the more commercial sound of “Arrival”, while others will like the rougher sound of “Generations”. Another novelty is the fact that every member of the band gets a chance to come into the spotlight as a lead vocalist. We know the sound of Neal’s voice, which has a tougher sound than Augeri’s. Jonathan Cain’s voice also has a harder edge to it, and when listening to Ross Valory, I could swear that I was listening to a Styx album featuring James Young on vocals. But the biggest surprise is Deen Castronovo. He could actually be the lead singer of the band, sounding a lot like Steve Augeri with a sour throat. One other difference is the fact that the album is much heavier than “Arrival”. There are fewer ballads on “Generations”, and the songs also have a harder rock sound. The new opener is right on target. “Faith In The Heartland” is in the same league as “Higher Place” and “Message Of Love”, proving that Journey still knows how to capture your attention right from the start. “The Place In Your Heart” is even more a typical Journey song, and unlike their previous CD, keeps the album rocking past the first song. It’s going to be a real crowd-pleaser in future live-shows. “A Better Life” features Deen Castronovo on vocals, and as I said before, he has a beautiful voice. The song is a half-fast rocker that fits the band’s style perfectly. The next song, “Every Generation” has Jonathan Cain on vocals, and it sounds a lot like his previous solo work. “Butterfly (She Flies Alone)” represents the first ballad of the album. Written by Steve Augeri (another first), it’s a nice slow rocker, without being exceptional. “Believe” is another slow rock song. It sounds a bit like “Butterfly”, but maybe a bit harder. For me, this is one of the least interesting songs on the album, and it seems I always want to skip it when listening to the CD. “Knowing That You Love Me” is a typical Journey power-ballad, a style they invented themselves with “Open Arms” from their album “Escape” in the eighties. It’s a beautiful and soulful song, proving that Steve really can sing. Then it’s rock and roll again. “Out Of Harms Way” is a fast rocker, with a great guitar riff from Neal. They really go all the way here, and I whish there were more songs like this on the album, as it has that trademark “Keep On Running”-feeling. “In Self Defence” keeps the same up-tempo feeling, but here Neal Shon takes the lead vocals, together with some great guitar parts. They keep on rocking with “Better Together”, but this song is not the best one on the album. “Gone Crazy” is a blues-rocker, which somehow doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the album. That’s probably because Ross Valory’s voice is so different from the others. Not bad, but not a typical Journey song. “Beyond The Clouds” is another real Journey ballad. It’s one of the most beautiful songs on “Generations”, and you will be humming the melody for a long time after listening to it. This is one of those songs that make Journey stand out from other bands playing melodic rock. They put so much emotion in this song, with a wonderful lead vocal from Steve, and a sensitive guitar solo from Neal. Great stuff! In Europe, we also get a bonus track, which wasn’t featured on the US edition of “Generations”. Deen Castronovo gets another chance to prove his singing qualities, and it definitely ends the album with a bang. “It’s Never Too Late” is co-written by Jack Blades, and the song represents one of the reasons why Journey will always be one of my favourite rock bands of all time. This song will make you want to push the play button and listen to the CD all over again. The European version of “Generations” was licensed to Frontiers Records in Italy. They are really proud to be able to bring a Journey album to us Europeans, and rightly so. In fact, their name is a tribute to an album made by Journey themselves in the eighties. The new Journey album may not be as revolutionary as “Escape” and “Arrival” before it, but make no mistake. If you are a Journey fan, or indeed a fan of good melodic rock, you really NEED this CD. There aren’t many bands anymore of this magnitude, and you owe it to yourself to buy Journey’s latest album. You won’t regret it. “Generations” is one of the best rock albums of the last 5 years, there’s no doubt about it.
Musicians
Neal Schon: Guitar, vocals Jonathan Cain: Keyboards, vocals, guitar Ross Valory: Bass, vocals Steve Augeri: Vocals Deen Castronovo: Drums, vocals
Tracklist
Faith In The Heartland The Place In Your Heart A Better Life Every Generation Butterfly (She Flies Alone) Believe Knowing That You Love me Out Of Harm’s Way In Self-Defence Better Together Gone Crazy Beyond The Clouds It’s Never Too Late (bonus track)
Discography
Journey (1975) Look Into the Future (1976) Next (1977) Infinity (1978) Evolution (1979) Departure (1980) Dream after Dream (1980) Captured (1981 – live) Escape (1981) Frontiers (1983) Raised On Radio (1986) Trial by Fire (1996) Greatest Hits Live (1998 – live) Arrival (2000) Red 13 (2002 – ep) Generations (2005)


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