Frontiers [Release date 19 October 2012]
Neal Schon has always been one of the most tasteful guitarists and the most melodic, and his solo work demands further investigation from his ‘Late Nite’ debut in 1989 via the world flavours of ‘Electric World’ to the most recent ”I On U” in 2005. Of course since then his career has blossomed again with Journey who in 2007 played their first UK dates for 25 years.
Whilst a glorious guitar edge is more apparent in Journey’s current album, for lovers of Schon’s music there can never be too much guitar. Here he makes amends, starting off with the jam-based title track and progressing through a variety of different styles all anchored by his good guitar taste.
Overall, the theme of the album is fusion, exemplified by the keys of Igor Len (on ‘Carnival Jazz’) and previous collaborator Jan Hammer’s moog (‘Fifty Six’, ‘Tumbleweeds’).
In addition to that sparky title track there is the heavy riffage of ‘Back Smash’ which has a wonderful breakdown section with chiming guitar figures and acoustic against Len’s string synths whilst ‘Transonic Funk’ is another loose but infectious jam.
Schon made this album in less than a week (playing guitars and bass) with one-time Journey drummer Steve Smith and there is a definite informality and looseness about the proceedings with a less song-based structure and again it’s a tribute to his better judgment that it doesn’t all get out of hand.
The big ballad appears as ‘True Emotion’ with Schon’s characteristic sustained and bluesy figures but the tour-de-force is probably ‘Tumbleweeds’, a seven-minute fusion epic of shifting moods with a particularly convincing play-out at the end. ‘Blue Rainbow Sky’is inspired by, and a tribute to, Ronnie James Dio but it’s tender rather than metallic.
There is a certain delight hearing this album and essentially hearing Schon having a blast, unfettered by expectation not least those Journey fans who might baulk when that band ups the guitar quotient.
And with thirty minutes to go of the sessions, he found time to revisit ‘Song Of The Wind’ pointing back to his formative years with Santana and the album Caravanserai.
Forty years on from that musical gestation you won’t hear a better guitar-based instrumental album this year save perhaps for his former master’s unexpected ‘Shape Shifter’.
****
Review by David Randall
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
Next session: Sunday 1 December
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.
How to Listen Live?
Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)
Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.
More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com
Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024
ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)
Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)
PDF - you can delete unwanted sections
