04/06/08: Matt Carty -
mrcarty@cox.net
Rating: 55
I don't get it. The band axes Steve Augeri, and then writes a bunch of songs that are perfectly suited for him? Jeff Scott Soto could've done a great job on the new tracks also, so it's clear that Arnel is here to cover the classics. Which we didn't really need in the first place. Hmmmm.
I have to say Arnel is talented, and there isn't a performance on the album that lacks passion. I give him the utmost credit. And, I can applaud the band for going back to the Evolution-era sound on Like A Sunshower, easily my favorite track. After All These Years is without question one of Journey's best-ever ballads, and is possibly the best crafted song of Jonathan Cain's songwriting career. And, Turn Down the World Tonight is such a good wrapup to the album that it makes the Neal Schon explosion that is The Journey (Revelation) almost a regrettable inclusion.
Other than those standouts, I hear a lot of ripoffs here. Very little sounds like straight Journey. Cross up some Van Hagar and Styx and you'll get Change for the Better. Never Walk Away (oops, almost called it Never Too Late), Wildest Dreams, and What it Takes to Win sound more like Survivor songs, a band that was little more than a Journey knock-off when it was around back in the day. The one truly regrettable inclusion here is the revamped and homogenized Faith in the Heartland, which was possibly the best song of Augeri's tenure in Journey.
As for the re-recorded songs, I can say that I like the production. I also like the live vibe, and many of the songs sound like their concert versions which have always been great. But if I want to hear the concert versions again, I'll go to a show or put on a live CD. This is a misguided tactic Wal Mart uses to push product that will never be appreciated by a hardcore fan.
I wish Journey the best of luck with this release. It's likely to speed past the sales of any post-Perry album, if not for the songs, then for the value of the total package. But, unfortunately, Revelation comes nowhere near the standard set by Journey in their heyday. And, only briefly, does it come anywhere near their underappreciated Arrival album.