I remember Journey getting alot of press in the beginning when Augeri joined the band. There were articles everywhere the first couple years. He was labeled a "sound-alike", that "cloning scientists had been hard at work", or even Deen Castronovo called him "Perry with a perm". There were lots of others I don't remember now.
So what makes this early publicity on Arnel different? People magazine just said he sounds "exactly" like Perry. That makes it appear that writers are focusing on the re-released classics as their guideposts, not his voice on the new CD. I only hear Perryish vocals on one tune.
Will Arnel ever get out of Perry's shadow, or will he be plagued by the same problems Augeri faced? Will Arnel just be singing the classics and new material Schon and Cain write and have no credible contribution of his OWN? Before Arnel can proclaim any succcess with or for the band, he needs to be part of a successful writing partnership. Augeri was never able to do that and it will be interesting to see if Arnel can, either.