Journey: Arrival : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Journey were the epitome of commercial Eighties rock. They still are, more than twenty-five years after the band first formed in San Francisco. Despite a couple significant lineup changes -- singer Steve Augeri and drummer Deen Castronovo have replaced Steve Perry and Steve Smith -- the band's eighteenth album plays out much like its predecessors. Arrival is dense and smoothly produced with a hint of hard-rock heft and catchy hooks a-plenty. But just because it's formulaic doesn't mean it lacks conviction. On the contrary, tracks like "With Your Love" unwind with at least as much genuine feeling as most adult contemporary pop hits, and sassier numbers like "Nothin' Comes Close" display more chops than the average adult rock opus. The question is whether there's still an audience for Journey or whether the Sheryl Crows and Dave Matthews of the world have left Arrival with no place to go.