When the impact comes it drives the song into the first chorus and from there the song picks up pace. Opening with just a piano and vocal, it’s a baladesque intro, but you know its going to go somewhere. Together We Run is one of my favourite Journey album opening tracks, just because it’s a little different. ‘Freedom’ is one of the band’s most rhythmically complex record, with layers upon layers of drums, percussion and well, everything – I just wish it could all be heard clearly.Īnd for those that have been living off samples for the last month or so….don’t judge the record on those – I’ve listened to them to hear what parts of the songs they highlight and they are indeed not telling the full picture or the complexity of this record means the samples are doing just that – ‘sampling’ what’s on offer, but not painting the full picture by any means. There are really strong comparisons to ‘Trial By Fire’ to be drawn here – the style and feel of the album matches their 1996 comeback album, while other parts touch on ‘Escape’, ‘Frontiers’, ‘Raised On Radio’ and even the early days of the band. On the surface that might seem like an odd decision, but those tracks are balanced out by some very traditional Journey style AOR melodies and a few outstanding ballads. ![]() ![]() On several songs, the band, or Neal Schon at least, takes guitar dominance even further than on ‘ Eclipse’, delivering some of the heaviest and grooviest Journey songs on record. But now some 11 years on, its time again for AORs most loved band to give something new for fans to complain about, or at least debate endlessly for the next 11 years.Īfter being criticised (wrongly in my opinion) for being too focussed on guitar on the last album, Journey return with an album largely focussed…yes, on guitars. To briefly recap their time with vocalist Arnel Pineda, you have the very successful and commercial ‘Revelation’ record in 2008, followed by the decisively less commercial guitar driven ‘Eclipse’ in 2011, which some dismiss (at their own peril), for being too direct, or less focussed on melodies. Journey’s history is well documented, so no there’s reason for any history lesson here. In fact, listening back to this album over the time I have had it, its like tuning into Neal Schon’s Greatest Hits – there’s parts of Journey, Bad English, Hardline and his solo work all throughout this album. And what can be said about Neal Schon? I think he is again the star of the show here. Randy Jackson’s bass parts all make their mark – this album has a serious groove to it. Jonathan Cain delivers a lot of different keyboard and piano textures throughout and Arnel Pineda proves he is again the man – not only for the dead on Steve Perry-isms in certain songs, but also for sounding uniquely himself in other places. Narada Michael Walden is insane on the drums. Generally speaking, records shouldn’t sound much different depending on how it is being listened to, but that’s another curiosity of ‘Freedom’ – the new first new Journey album in 11 years, adopting the moniker originally designated for the ‘Raised On Radio’ album, back when Herbie Herbert was in control. And I’ve played it on several different mediums. Its become one of my most played records of 2022, which has to mean something. The album has been with me for a couple of months now and I know it inside and out. But you must accept everything for what it is and how it sounds. The album has a raw sound, a somewhat muddy mix in places and some unusual vocal effects when it comes to Arnel’s leads. A lot of the sound of a record comes down to how it was recorded in the first place, and how the band want the record to sound. He has done an amazing job at piecing the album together. ![]() In this case the job was given to Bob Clearmountain – one of the very best mix engineers in the business. That kind of separation can impact the end result of an album, and it puts premium importance on the mixer. ![]() Some however, may not be able to get around it, or over it or past it, and listening enjoyment may be impacted.īut the performances are blindingly good and the songs are quite superb.įor the record, the album was recorded remotely – with Arnel in the Philippines, Neal and Narada Michael Walden in San Francisco, Randy Jackson in Los Angeles and Jonathan Cain at home in his own studio. For the most part I’ve adapted my ears to the choices the band has made here and for that reason I can enjoy the performances and the songs for what they are. But it’s not without flaws and the main one is the production (or mix) quality. Let’s go straight to the bottom line – I’m loving this record and I’m sure many others are going to feel the same.
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