1. City of Hope—This one is a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, it is a decent song: The opening guitar riff is catchy and raw, but fails to deliver the harder rock attitude it promises; vocally it is superb, with Arnel reaching and maintaining some impressive notes as well as communicating sincerity about the song’s subject, his hometown of Manila; lyrically, it is somewhat compelling that the message concerns itself not with the typical concept of love but the trials and tribulations of a specific location. On the other hand, the structure and atmosphere of this track are entirely unoriginal: We’ve heard it before in numerous Journey-related songs (“Believe In Me”, “State of Grace”, “Never Walk Away”), but primarily “Faith in the Heartland.” While upbeat and guitar-driven, this doesn’t capture the heavy and original essence of Eclipse and is thus a weaker lead track. 6.5/10 (radio edit: 5.5/10)
2. Edge of the Moment—Though it begins with a melodic and gritty guitar riff like “City of Hope”, this track succeeds where the first one failed. “Edge of the Moment” is searing—dominated equally by impressive guitar-work from Neal and mighty percussion from Deen, and punctuated by understated synthesizers from Jonathan Cain. Vocally, Arnel is powerful and commanding, his accent largely subdued. Lyrically, this track makes good on the vow of Neal and Jon to explore a sexual theme; with lines referring to a “rapture so rare to be true,” one can only assume that the “edge of the moment” the writer is trying to “hold onto” is the moment of orgasm. It’s not explicit, but the message is there in such a manner as to differentiate itself from the cheesier, vaguer “Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’” but without going into blatant hip-hop territory. 9/10
3. Chain of Love—This track continues the hard rock momentum established previously—though not immediately. Rather than a predictable (but likely catchy) guitar riff, Journey chooses to begin with ethereal synthesizers and a haunting piano melody. This allows Jon Cain to explore some heretofore unplumbed depths with his performance; he proves that keyboards needn’t be used in such a way as to overdose the listener with estrogen. Arnel’s vocals are as potent as before. And when Neal enters the picture, all hell breaks loose with a rhythm that is as powerful as any that has ever been featured by Journey. The rhythm and tempo of “Chain of Love” make this a truly rocking song. Lyrically, the band continues to approach the concept of love and hope from a different angle: Compelling lyrics like “when my desire becomes a nightmare, I feel paranoia about what I’m wishing for” might make you wonder how the hell this was crafted by the same band that produced such lyrical schlock like “Homemade [fuckin’] Love.” 9/10
4. Tantra—I’m one of the relatively few among Journey fans that think the band does rock better than it does pop, but I do appreciate and genuinely love some of their ballads. Unfortunately, this one can’t be counted among that number. Journey collects all the proper components—Arnel’s voice is mighty as ever (perhaps too mighty) and each in the band plays his part superbly—but the final product is poorly constructed. It’s just too long, too theatrical, and too boring. I feel compelled to point out that, lyrically, I consider this song to be a triumph. Jon and Neal seem to have found other dimensions of themselves as songwriters, crafting an intricate and detailed look on the concept of tantra. But it’s not enough to save this song, though this certainly is not the first time that Journey’s musical ambition has backfired. 4.5/10
5. Anything Is Possible—Beginning with a pleasant and graceful solo by Neal, “Anything Is Possible” helps bridge the sound of Eclipse to previous and more famous Journey sounds and songs. It is also proof that someone in the band was smart enough not to let the album get bogged down with incessantly moody rockers; a ballad or mid-tempo rocker like this always has a place in the Journey canon. Likely because of his life experiences, Arnel pours his heart out on this one—especially on the powerful chorus. The outro solo features Neal at his finest. 8/10
6. Resonate—I really can’t say enough good things about this song. In a nutshell, this is definitely Eclipse’s best song and one that holds its own against any song they’ve ever produced with any singer. The greatest component of “Resonate” is its heavy, driving rhythm. Whether one listens to it on one’s iPod or one’s stereo, the moody weave of bass, percussion, and rhythm guitars are truly mighty. The chorus is sensual and strong, with impressive singing by Arnel and screaming lead guitar from Neal Schon. This, my friends, should have been Journey’s U.S. single. It’s got all of the essential Journey components, but constructed in a heavy way that might appeal today’s contemporary crowd that listen to radio hits from Daughtry to Shinedown. It is a masterpiece and richly deserves the elusively rare 10/10.
7. She’s a Mystery—Listening to the entirety of “She’s a Mystery,” it is a song that suffers slightly from being too long. I support the decision the band made in recording a largely acoustic track, which harkens back to “Liberty” or, more appropriately, “Patiently.” In fact, this could be a longer, modern, and heavier version of that iconic Journey track. After three minutes of beautiful playing by Neal and Jon on the guitar, we’re treated to a guitar/organ interlude, before the boys bust out the electric guitars, bass, and drums—during which Arnel hits stratospheric notes and wails. This is a very good progressive track which could have been better if it had been weighed a little more evenly: The band should have eliminated the unnecessary third chorus between the 2:35 mark and the 3:40 mark, which would have made it much more manageable and, therefore, superior. 7.5/10
8. Human Feel—This track shares the same problem plaguing the previous one: it’s too long. Except, in “Human Feel,” it’s wayyyyyyy too long. When I heard the radio edit, I was won over by the lyrics, melody, and the MVP of this track—Deen Castronovo, laying down some seriously badass percussion—but all of that is lost in the chaotic jam session that is about two minutes too long. The song’s message is unique to Journey: It’s a thoughtful reproach against the social dangers of the digital age and the need for human contact. Great idea, flawed execution: The song drags on entirely too long and, in this case, is substantially inferior to the radio edit. 6/10 (radio edit: 8/10)
9. Ritual—“Ritual” could have found a place on Arrival, which is largely a compliment. It’s an upbeat rock song driven by dueling rhythm guitar and synthesizers—heavier than “Anything Is Possible” but softer than “Edge of the Moment”—which features great vocals from Arnel, though his accent does flare up in this song here and there. Lyrically, this track is something of a letdown: I understand what the guys were trying to get at, but I don’t understand how the relationship the writer has with his significant other is akin to a ritual. In this case, it’s a situation in which the spiritual element to the lyrics is certainly contrived and its essence is practically non-existent. Eclectic elements like the dueling rhythm/acoustic guitar at the 2:46 mark add a progressive, original feel to separate it from the usual Journey rocker. 8/10
10. To Whom It May Concern—This ballad succeeds where “Tantra” failed miserably. A heartfelt plea to a nebulous deity (or a few of them—Jehovah/Allah, Buddha, Krishna) to use it’s/their powers to bring peace to the world and thus create paradise, “To Whom It May Concern” is powerful without being ridiculously theatrical (listen to Arnel sing his heart out with the line “are you listening, are you there?”). The lyrics are deeper than what might be found on “Baby I’m A Leavin’ You” or “All the Way,” proof that the boys can craft a ‘serious’ ballad if so inclined. 8/10
11. Someone—If you’ve never heard a song with what could be described as wasted potential, I’m sorry to say that “Someone” will not only pop your proverbial cherry, it will do it with such ruthless zeal as to border on rape. This song begins with the goofiest, cheesiest mix of guitar solo and blaring synthesizers I’ve probably ever heard come out of a Journey song. The music gets a little heavier (and better) as Arnel evokes an early-‘80s Perry, singing about a person trying to overcome his perceived bad luck in relationships. Lyrically, this is largely old territory for Journey—though expressions like “going through the motions,” “you like to say you got burned,” and “you’ve reached the Y in lonely” make me smile in a song that otherwise makes me frown a lot. Finally, they reach the chorus and this track quickly races up the ladder to badass—the blend of vocals, tasteful piano, and gritty guitar allow this chorus to start out as the catchiest on the album bar none. And things are damn near perfect right until the 1:04 mark, where Arnel bizarrely drops the note “befor-or-or-ore” while Deen (equally bizarrely) continues to sing the word at a high pitch. Basically, rather than exploit an opportunity to make the word (and the lyric [and the song]) soar, the song comes to a crashing halt for me. It’s a bewildering and distracting fumble that brings Steve Perry into my mind at full force for the first time while listening to this album: Perry, intelligent singer that he is, wouldn’t have made such a fumble. That’s really all I have to say on it; it doesn’t matter that the catchy part of the chorus resumes or that the vocals are otherwise superb—the intro and chorus fumble trash this song for me. It’s not the worst song ever (or even the worst that Journey’s ever done) but its wasted potential is deplorable. 3/10
Overall: 8/10
Final comments: Great effort; tt's one of my very favorites and explores new dimensions for the band (and for my own appreciation of Steve Perry's input).
