Neal Schon, guitarist, songwriter and only constant on every single Journey album, has stepped out from the group and released his seventh solo album, The Calling. Playing all guitars and producing the backing tracks of these 12 tunes in just four days, Schon begins the record with the four-on-the-floor steady beat of the title track, his vibrator bar rolls over the top of a tough, slightly space-age Jan Hammer Moog. One-time Journey drummer Steve Smith makes “Carnival Jazz” his own, while “Six String Waltz” with it stirring main riff at its center sees the drummer doing what not many other drummers can do.
I love the lilting percussive plucking swirl under “Fifty Six (56),” with its Middle Eastern vibe. Schon wails on the ballad “True Emotion,” and “Tumbleweeds” chugs along with the guitarist sounding a little like David Gilmour. There’s an interesting beat on “Primal Surge,” all tribal woods and the snare upfront as Schon flies in single notes. “Song Of The Wind II,” with its slow roll of sweet high notes over a Rhodes-like backing piano ends the CD.
Joining Santana at 15 (yes, that’s Neal Schon in the fray brown jacket in the Woodstock movie), leading Journey from a fusion four-piece through their domination of the 80s, plus a stint in Bad English — there’s little doubt Neal Schon is still a guitar force to be reckoned with. As Journey continues to fill arenas and sell records, one comes away quite assured of Schon’s guitar playing as well as his songwriting on The Calling.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
