Review JOURNEY ‘Freedom’

Popular, well-known and consistent, that’s how the 40 years of Journey can be described. It all began in 1973 in San Francisco when Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie started the band. What developed from there is impressive.

Not only that Journey has significantly influenced the development of melodic rock for four decades. The highlight of this exceptional career was their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.

The driving force and the only remaining founding member is guitarist Neal Schon, who has always managed to develop new strength for Journey from line-up changes. In addition to Schon, the current line-up includes veteran Journey members keyboardist Jonathan Cain and Randy Jackson on bass.

Extremely important to Journey’s sound are the vocals. Journey has always had exceptional performers in their roster, think Steve Perry and also Jeff Scott Soto. Since 2007 Arnel Pineda has taken the position at the microphone and with his soft and at the same time powerful voice Pineda manages to give the songs an expressiveness. Melody, feeling and the right amount of roughness allow the band to work with great melodic arcs on the one hand and never sound too soft on the other hand.

Expressive songs like ‘Still Believe in Love’ are just as impressive as swinging rockers a la ‘Holdin On’. The latter is a good example of Journey’s joy of playing which is also evident in ‘Don’t Give Up on Us’. Listening to the album from start to finish, it’s clear that Journey are just as energetic in 2022 as they have been for all forty years of their career. ‘Together We Run’, that’s the spirit of the album and so it’s no surprise that this song acts as the opener. Also musically it is a good decision to put the song at the beginning of the album, as it represents in perfection what Journey stands for – strength, power and emotion.

Freedom is more than just a word in these wild times. It’s a basic need and we realize that freedom is not a given, but that everyone has to stand up and fight for it. ‘Freedom’ is a great addition, because the album, with its positive mood, delivers a great contribution. Melodic rock fans should certainly not miss this musical treat, it is a highlight in the musical 2022.