Majestic wrote:I think if Perry recorded the right songs, he could be an even more popular singer with the voice he has today than the one he had at his peak in Journey. I loved his voice in Journey, but I know a lot of people who didn't like it so much as I did. They didn't like the pure tone, and if the high notes impressed, they just didn't like to hear it so much. The voice he has now is lower, more nuanced, and full of texture and character that he didn't use to have. His comparison to Otis Redding may have a little truth to it, but Redding was a great singer who probably had broader appeal than Perry of Journey. I think his cover of the EEELs "Mother..." and his cover of Cook were really good, and give a taste of what kind of artist Perry could be today, and I like it a lot. I still like the Journey legacy, and I like to dig out those old songs and hear them once in a while. Those songs are the songs of my youth and I will always treasure them. But I have grown up since then, just as Perry has, and my tastes have evolved. That means I actually like the new qualities to Perry's voice more than the younger voice, and I am also more in to the type of music he covered than I was in my youth. Anyway, I really do think if Perry makes new music in this vein and with this new sound he has, that he could quite possibly pull off a hit or two bigger than he ever did with Journey.
This is the best post I've read here in a very long time, and I couldn't agree with you more. I also treasure the old Journey music, but have been over it for decades! Like you, it's a part of my childhood, but that doesn't mean I need to listen to a different guy, every few years, sing them over, and over, and over again! If I really want to, or need to listen to them, I'll listen to the original recordings, that were absolutely flawless! I also agree with your assessment of Perry on the non-Journey songs. For me, I really didn't think the Journey songs were that good. In the interest of full disclosure, I've always hated both of those cheese ball songs. Those songs sucked when they came out and hey suck now...sort of like a VW Beetle!
That said, I was actually STUNNED by how good Perry sounded on the first two songs. The guy sounded exceptional to me, and sounded FAR better than I thought he would. I thought the tone of his voice was outstanding. Sure, his voice is different, but I'm not sure that it's different, in a bad way. Even though it's different, his voice was still VERY recognizable. There was ZERO question that it was Perry singing, when he started belting out the notes. Given that he can sound that good at an impromptu performance, I think he owes it to himself to keep on singing, and I suspect that he might.