There was a time, many, many moons ago, when Reagan was president and the Atari was the hottest console on the market, that the release of a new Journey album was an event. Kids would line up in droves outside of record stores to actually buy the album, because that was all you could do back then. But a lot has changed since those days. Those “kids” are now card carrying AARP members and nobody (outside of us diehards) buys music anymore. So it probably came as quite the surprise when upon streaming “Don’t Stop Believin'” for the two zillionth time, you noticed via Spotify that Journey has a new album.
In all seriousness, outside of the occasional PR blast, I haven’t heard a peep about Freedom, the first Journey album in 11 years. Even among the niche AOR community, there seems to be a much greater excitement over whatever new euro bands are out there twisting and turning the Journey sound of old, as opposed to the band proper. This is especially odd considering Journey is a band who still sells out arenas on a regular basis. Yes, they do so on the back of their greatest hits, but isn’t that enough to warrant even casual interest of a new release for a band of this caliber? I ask this because despite its ridiculous length (an hour and 13 minutes to be exact) and overreliance on adult contemporary ballads (especially in the first half), Freedom is a rather respectable entry in the Journey canon.
For this release, guitarist/founder Neal Schon enlisted a dream team to carry out his musical vision. Alongside he, classic keyboardist Jonathan Cain, and longtime Steve Perry doppelganger Arnel Pineda, is the tightly knit rhythm section of bassist Randy Jackson (you read that right DAWG) and drummer Narada Michael Walden. It’s too bad both have since departed the band, due to professional (Jackson) and personal (Walden) reasons, because they sure brought out the best in Schon. This isn’t to say Schon has ever played anything less than fantastic, but Freedom boasts some of the hardest riffs, ripping solos, and downright mesmerizing intricacies he’s laid down since Hardline’s Double Eclipse (1992).
As stated before, the first half of Freedom leans heavily on wine mom friendly fare. Some channel the nostalgic bliss of Frontiers (1983) and Raised on Radio (1986) (“Together We Run”, “Don’t Give Up On Us”), while others come off as pedestrian slabs of lite AOR (“You Got the Best of Me”, “Live to Love Again”), more characteristic of a Journey worship band than Journey themselves. It isn’t until the soulful hard rock of “Come Away with Me” that things really get moving. From there, we’re treated to atmospheric synthscapes (“After Glow”), heavy 70s groove rockers (“Let It Rain”), funk n’ roll (“All Day, All Night”), and sugary sweet AOR gone power pop mania (“Don’t Go”), as well as more of the Frontiers/Raised on Radio formula. The only downside of this latter half is the closing “Live Rolls On”: An overambitious suite that attempts to capture the grandiose feel of early Journey, but falls short and really goes nowhere.
If this album was shaved in half and given the full 80s production treatment as opposed to the old school meets new school vibe it gives off, there’s a good chance it’d make my year end list. Of course, that’s an “if”, and perhaps advice the Journey camp will heed if they ever embark upon another full length undertaking. But what’s the point of that when your “fanbase” is made up of stubborn boomers who refuse to listen to anything you released past 1986, good or not? It’s a sad reality, but one that can’t be emphasized enough for this band of veterans. Indeed, the “Wheel in the Sky” keeps on turnin’. It just seems nobody cares.
6 out of 10
Label: BMG
Genre: AOR
For fans of: Foreigner, Toto, REO Speedwagon