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 JOURNEY
- Red
13 (Frontiers Records)
Score: 3 out of 5 Battle-Axes (more about rating system) Journey is a legendary melodic rock/classic rock act. Escape (1981) and Frontiers (1983) defined the 80s and may have even played some part in the naming of Frontiers Records. I was very pleased with Arrival (2001), Journey's first release with new lead singer Steve Augeri, but Red 13 leaves me a bit cold. While Arrival was the logical follow-up to the Steve Perry era, this four song E.P. finds the band distancing itself from its past. The two major differences are that Augeri sounds less like Perry here and musically, this sounds like a completely different band. While the music is well executed, this material just doesn't fit the Journey mold. Neal Schon's guitar style is so different that it's impossible to tell he's playing. Of the four songs, "State of Grace," with its 'open sesame' vibe, is the best. This song and "The Time" find the band going for a less-commercial, almost improvisational structure. Unfortunately, "Walking Away From The Edge" is a sappy and pointless ballad, as it doesn't approach the quality of "Faithfully" and comes off as filler. The final track, "I Can Breathe" is a relatively standard melodic track, but the backing vocals save the day. Overall, I think I'd like this a bit more if the songs didn't belong to Journey. Maybe I have trouble adjusting to change, but I really believe it's a little late in the game for Journey to develop an entirely different sound. After all, their sound is so distinctive, why would they want to throw that away? (Chris Dugan) |