In the series "it's in the old pots that we make the best soups", it's the turn of the Americans of 'Journey' to remember our good memories, because after 'Eclipse' in 2011, it was a radio silence for 11 long years for this legendary group which made the beautiful days from the AOR in the 70s/80s with no less than 9 albums, ranging from The self-titled album in 1975 at 'Raised On Radio' in 1986. So, what about this 2022 'Journey' cuvée? The least we can say is that it's a dense album since the Americans offer us 15 titles for nearly 75 minutes of listening and, to begin with, the fans of the group of the first two decades will not be confused because we find in half compositions which made the popularity of 'Journey' with melodies that we immediately appropriate and with choirs always so radiant. We can cite the melodic hits that are the classy 'Together We Run', 'Don't Give Up on Us' with its addictive chorus, the catchy 'You Got The Best Of Me' and 'Don't Go', the mid -tempo 'The Way We Used To Be' already known for a year now and 'United We Stand' in the same register which can also recall the best of 'Foreigner' or the rhythmic 'All Day, All Night'. And when 'Journey' pushes the sound slightly and borders on a more muscular melodic hard rock, the 'Come Away With Me', 'Let It Rain' and 'Holdin On' can confuse some of them but allow to vary the styles taking into account the album density. And then, you can imagine, the quieter moments are not forgotten and are very well represented with no less than three very beautiful ballads which are 'Still Believe In Love', 'Live To Love Again' and 'After Glow'. And to finish, the 7 minutes of 'Beautiful as You Are' mix softness and radiant AOR what constitutes a good summary of the album with a last melody which does not leave you anymore. In summary, the kings of the AOR of the 70s/80s offer us a dense and varied album, and the title 'Freedom', in these troubled times, brings us back to a time when this notion of freedom still had a real meaning, the proof is with these luminous and harmonious melodies which have now become timeless... | |
