ALBUM REVIEW: Freedom – Journey

JOURNEY is a band that should need absolutely no introduction but for the novices among us, they are quite possibly one of the world’s most beloved rock bands. It has been eleven years since JOURNEY released an album and while they may not have been writing, they have kept themselves busy in that time by selling out arenas shows all over the globe and getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – just the usual semi-retirement stuff. Their greatest hits collection alone has sold over fifteen-million copies world-wide, so if you only know Don’t Stop Believin’ then you definitely need to expand your horizons.

This newest album highlights everything that makes JOURNEY great, largely because they kept the crux of what made them great in the first place. Long-time keyboard player & lyricist Jonathan Cain and vocalist Arnel Pineda remained in the band as other members came and went, writing the music we all know and love together. They evolved the original sound of the band to fit more modern styles, all while keeping the signature Journey sound that is so instantly recognisable among even the most casual of listeners. But this new release not only had this pairing at its core. Bassist Randy Jackson, who played on their 1986 album Raised On Radio was recruited, further enhancing the classic elements of their original sound.

Everything about this release evokes nostalgia. The opening track Together We Run is simply perfect and is so explicitly Journey. It begins this 15-track epic perfectly and sets the tone for the next 70+ minutes perfectly. Every track is chock full of a driving rhythm section in bassist Randy Jackson and drummer Narada Michael Walden. This pairing propels each track forward with a thundering force. Take Don’t Give Up On Us for example. It begins with a haunting, and almost dissonant, synth line that gives way to a bass slide and this driving rhythm that can’t help but make you feel motivated. It’s one of those tracks you would almost expect to be part of a training montage in some 80s coming of age film.

Not every track belongs in a Rocky movie though. JOURNEY shows their more tender side with piano ballads like Live To Love Again and After Glow (the latter of which has lead vocals shared with previous drummer Deen Castronovo). They are extremely powerful songs that belong being belted out in arenas to thousands of adoring fans. Though these tracks may be ‘softer,’ they all make way for howling guitar solos from Neal Schon, who manages to incorporate wailing lead guitar lines perfectly into each song that are designed solely to give the listener goosebumps.

Somehow over the last eleven years, JOURNEY have managed to get even bigger and increase their legend tenfold. This is assisted in part by memorable pop culture moments that are soundtracked to their music – we can no doubt thank the latest season of Stranger Things for the instant boost in streams of Separate Ways (Worlds Apart), or the cringeworthy first few seasons of Glee that used and abused their discography. While some may perceive this as a straightforward way for the band to make money, it has exposed them to a whole new audience that would never have listened to them before. This album has come at a perfect time, just as those under 30 are discovering that this band are so much more than their standard radio hits and instead create music that deserves to be screamed from rooftops.

Rating: 9/10

Freedom is out now via Frontiers Music s.r.l.

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