NEAL SCHON (Journey) – Vortex (2015)
In NEAL SCHON‘s own words; “My guitar is my voice. When you play from the heart, you discover your voice”. One would have thought that 40 years into his career he would have found his voice by now. The fact is that he has found his voice several times over, be it on his solo work or his spells in Santana, Hardline, Bad English or Journey.
His new double album “Vortex” album is just a new voice. And a powerful one it is.
To say the guitar playing on “Vortex” is second to none is tantamount to stating the bleeding obvious, that said it does bear repeating and should not be taken for granted. Just because he can play the guitar doesn’t mean he can compose great music.
Although in this case is very much does mean that.
The album’s sound moves from rock to bluesy melodies, progressive to jazz-rock and many things in between without breaking rhythm, purpose or consistency.
There is a sense of wonder and anticipation in Schon’s ‘voice’. It feels like you are entering something or somewhere for the very first time and you have no idea what is around the corner.
The first few songs grab you, shake you up, and take you someplace, but then it keeps going. By the third track I was beginning to wonder if the whole album was going to sound the same.
Then “El Matador” came on, and I was pleasantly reassured. Neal Schon begins taking you on this ‘journey’ through joy, heartbreak, excitement, love, and loss. I have to say, while they do a good job of this through the whole album, “Lady M” which was written for his wife, is one of those songs where you can really feel the emotion and energy radiating from the music.
The second disc provides a wider variety of sounds and experimentation. It leads off with the epic “Tortured Souls”, transitioned into more explorative sounds, where “Twilight Spellbound” is another standout whilst “Triumph Of Love” has a classical theme percolating what is essentially a power ballad, and an impressive one at that.
“Talk To Me” is another great example of a more lyrical approach and – as elsewhere on the album – serves as a great leveller for aspiring guitar heroes as it reaches its typically frenetic resolution.
From a technical standpoint the album is equally impressive. The guitar playing for both lead and rhythm is breathtaking. It is precise and confident, while also wild and loose. There’s solid support from Steve Smith (drums), Igor Len – who gets his own solo piano piece with “Eternal Love” – and the return of Jan Hammer with whom Schon cut two albums in 1981-2.
The bass definitely does its job of providing a solid backbone to the songs. The percussion gave a steady rhythm that definitely complemented the music, and I particularly enjoyed the use of hats and cymbals. The keyboard and synth isn’t particularly prevalent throughout the album, except when it needs to be. It’s not too flashy or anything, and when it does hit, it hits just the right spot.
One of the great things about Neal Schon is that all of his solo work is completely different from his day job in Journey. It might seem obvious but considering the amount of artists who want time out from their main band to indulge in personal projects that ended up sounding exactly the same as their band are too numerous to mention.
The hope is that Schon, inbetween the usual hectic touring schedule with Journey, will find some time in the near future to support “Vortex” by doing some live shows.
If that happens you would be a fool to miss it, and the same can be said if you do not purchase a copy of “Vortex” to hear a truly creative visionary at his peak, an album both unbridled and honest, by a great player unconstrained and plenty of creativity.
A sonic adventure through a varied and generally upbeat landscape of high-impact, high-energy guitar.
CD1
01. Miles Beyond
02. Awakening
03. Cuban Fly Zone
04. El Matador
05. Eternal Love
06. In a Cloud
07. Irish Cream
08. Lady M (Our love Remains)
09. NS Vortex
CD2
01. Tortured Souls
02. Schon & Hammer Now
03. Airliner NS910
04. Unspoken Faith
05. Twilight / Spellbound
06. Triumph of Love
07. Mom
08. Talk to Me
09. White Light
BUY IT !
www.amazon.co.uk/Vortex-2CD-Neal-Schon/dp/B00WNJ0WL8
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Thank you!