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"Although it didn't get the recognition it deserved when it was released, "Arrival" is still one of Journey's finest albums"
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4/5
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After the departures of Steve Perry and Steve Smith, there weren't many people to bet on Journey's future. However, Schon, Cain and Valory didn't give up, and in the end it was Steve Augeri and Deen Castronovo who were recruited to keep the US AOR legend going. The former is no stranger to the scene, having played with the likes of Marty Friedman, Steve Vai and Ozzy Osbourne, and having shared the Hardline and Bad English adventures with Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain.
The first version released in Japan had left fans a little cold, judging it to be too full of ballads. Fortunately, Journey has listened to its audience, and two tracks (the thrilling "World Gone Wild" and the rock'n'roll "Nothin' Comes Close") have replaced "I'm Not That Way" on the edition released in the Land of the Rising Sun. Fans of sweets of all kinds needn't worry, however, as Journey, great specialists in the exercise, delivers a few delicate tracks here. The tender "All The Way", "Loved By You" and "With Your Love" are calibrated to hit the US airwaves and bring tears to the most sensitive of hearts, while "Livin' To Do" is more of a power-bluesy feel-good affair. Only "Lifetime Of Dream" drags on a little too long, preventing the band from achieving a perfect score.
But above all, Journey delivers some unstoppable Aor/FM nuggets. "Higher Place", "Signs Of Life" and "I Got A Reason" are real potential hits, both melodic and dynamic, while "All The Things" is as groovy as Ross Valory's bass, and "To Be Alive Again", carried by its piano line, is downright euphoric. Finally, while Journey also delivers a few classic mid-tempi tracks ("Live And Breathe"), it also shows innovation on a delicate "Kiss Me Softly" and an atmospheric "We Will Meet Again" with tribal percussion, offering a superb finale to this "Arrival" that no one expected to be so enthusiastic.
Although it might have been more effective with 1 or 2 fewer tracks, this new opus proves that Journey remains the master of his style. Close to Perry without cloning him, Augeri delivers a superb performance, while Castronovo's powerful, precise playing energizes the 3 leaders, even giving Valory a new lease of life. Although it didn't get the recognition it deserved when it was released, "Arrival" is still one of Journey's finest albums. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. Higher Place - 5:09
02. All The Way - 3:35
03. Signs Of Life - 4:54
04. All The Things - 4:23
05. Loved By You - 4:02
06. Livin' To Do - 6:24
07. World Gone Wild - 6:00
08. I Got A Reason - 4:20
09. With Your Love - 4:25
10. Lifetime Of Dreams - 5:29
11. Live And Breathe - 5:15
12. Nothin' Comes Close - 5:41
13. To Be Alive Again - 4:21
14. Kiss Me Softly - 4:47
15. We Will Meet Again - 5:05
LINEUP:
Deen Castronovo: Batterie
Jonathan Cain: Claviers
Neal Schon: Guitares
Ross Valory: Basse
Steve Augeri: Chant
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(0) MIND(S) FROM OUR READERS
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Top of the page
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(0) COMMENT(S)
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READERS
4/5 (1 view(s))
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STAFF:
4/5 (2 view(s))
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IN RELATION WITH JOURNEY
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OTHER REVIEWS
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OTHER(S) REVIEWS ABOUT JOURNEY
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