Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

...because Steve Perry was never gone. Not from our hearts, our minds, and certainly not from our speakers. (I cut my teeth on 1970s Journey and cranked it up in a 1978 Smokey and the Bandit Firebird Trans Am on a Pioneer stereo.) And now we can thank the cosmic powers that be for the new music Steve has given us. This album reflects his head space before ("Most of All") and since the death of his beloved Kellie Nash. (This is based on the standard, and not the deluxe, which I have not received yet.) Until now, I have only heard one album worth a listen done by someone who lost his wife: Bleibt Alles Anders by Herbert Gronemeyer. It was loud, raw, throbbing, and absolutely full of some dark, dark times for this man in a loud, gritty way that mimics the way he spoke about the loss of his wife. And so it is for Traces and Steve Perry. Although it is not aurally loud like Gronemeyer's, it is just as much in your face. The raw, throbbing, dark spaces are just as loud in the simplicity of the way Steve Perry soulfully winds the lyrics and music around his pain like barbed wire to a prisoner. My favorites: "No Erasin'," showcasing his vocals, "We Fly," with its ethereal feel, "In the Rain," which is a story set to music, "Sun Shines Gray," with its hopefulness. People can bitch and moan that Traces is not a rockin' album or his voice has more rasp because of his age. 1. Yay for the rasp. Period. (Seriously, I wish I could sing anything on key. Having any rasp would be icing on the cake.) 2. Having already done whatever he needed to prove himself long ago, I don't think Steve gives two hundred pounds of fertilizer grade crap. He did what fulfills him and what he feels, which is damn good for us. 3. Well, duh? It makes sense when The Voice is profound he goes for the ballads. His voice has withstood time with the same delightfully raspy voice I, er, we love. "Sun Shines Gray" is more upbeat and conveys the feeling of coming out of the darkness, so there you go. With Traces’ heartfelt lyrics and harmonies, it clearly shows Steve has not forgotten where he comes from musically, where he's been emotionally, and where he's willing to go in both arenas. I look forward more from Steve Perry.