Journey – Escape

Fantastic record from start to finish, a one of a kind magic that cannot be replicated.

From their Progressive Rock roots they began building a promising start that led them to become an extremely commercially successful act. This is not where they began creating a fanbase but it was the record that made them become stratospheric.

Don't let the somewhat dated album cover fool you, Journey were professionals at what they did and they brought tremendous ion to the table with their brand of well crafted FM Radio Rock music. I will state that, regardless of the clear division among fans, they were at this point of their career not compromising themselves at all in their artform, always giving space to progressive sounding instrumentals and bridges.
In Steven Perry they had a voice that could melt an iceberg, a true vocal virtuoso not only in the technical sense but also in the honesty of his performances. I find this the main reason why his era will always be without a doubt the one that is more associated with the band, a talent like that is very hard to come by, and to think he almost gave up on his musical career...
Their early music was great but to me it was a build-up to Escape, the group's masterpiece (in my honest opinion).

Every one of us has their favourite tracks and while I love every song on this record, the iconicity of Don't Stop Believin' and Open Arms are never overstated.
At the end of the day this album is all about that warm and cozy feeling of positive nostalgia, a familiar tune you can sing along to.

P.S. - I am portuguese and I find it strange that Portugal is indeed one of the countries where Journey is less well known given Perry's heritage.