Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Chalfant, Kevin
Label: Clique Records
Release: 2007
Running time: 52.56
Rating: 4/5
Mama mia! This album is a tribute to Journey, the greatest American rock band ever, says its creator Kevin Chalfant! Just what the hell makes someone suddenly dare to challenge the gods of heaven and hell, and how does he even have the nerve to think about, let alone step onto, the turf of “untouchable” rock perfection??? Best I just quote this bold hero’s own words from his official website about Journey:
“The musicians and songwriters of Journey are simply the best in the music industry. Journey’s unique sound has won the hearts of millions of fans all over the world. I’m proud to consider the members of Journey personal friends and to call them the greatest American rock band. Over the years, my fans demanded that I record covers of the original versions of Journey songs. This album was made to meet that demand.
You can believe the man, he wasn’t far off. We won’t be singing Journey’s praises here for their enormous contribution to the development of rock music, or for the stamp of pure melodic and sonic perfection they left with their work, which no true rock fan can overlook, let alone fail to listen to.
Kevin Chalfant is these days a rare breed on planet Earth, someone who can rise to such a huge challenge as tackling Journey covers. Depending on the angle you come at it from, of course. Heh, believe me, making a cover is really not hard, but getting close enough to Journey’s originals to land right next to a copy of the original? That definitely takes a team-up with Einstein and Tesla! It’s like poking a sleeping lion with a blade of grass, and Chalfant plays that game like a flawless lion tamer!
A big help in smashing through these seemingly insurmountable barriers is the natural timbre of Kevin’s voice, which sits dangerously close to Steve Perry, the one-of-a-kind singer with whom Journey made their greatest work. Don’t worry, he smashes through them even in the highest registers, where Kevin is actually at his strongest and pierces closest to Perry, so close that for a moment you might forget it’s Steve Perry himself caught on the recording. Another important factor that lets Chalfant play with Journey classics in his own sandbox is the rich experience he’s piled up over his career working on projects with Journey members, like The VU, with Ross Valory, and The Storm, where he’s joined by Steve Smith and Gregg Rolie. On top of that, the guy has sat through a fair few jam sessions with Journey and was always a hot iron in the fire as a possible replacement for Steve Perry. Only the devil himself knows why that didn’t happen when Perry actually left Journey. Journey haven’t been the same band since. “Fly 2 Freedom” is therefore a proper guilty-pleasure treat for everyone weeping over today’s Journey without Perry.
The production on “Fly 2 Freedom” is a bit rawer and harsher than the Journey originals, which goes for all covers. And yet, if we look back only at the older stuff, e.g. the “Infinity” tracks, the sound of those songs in Chalfant’s hands would probably be more to the liking of the Journey members today, if you compared their revamped sound with what they achieved in 1978. Simply put, the covers in Chalfant’s hands sound fresh, inspired, and capture a pinch of that unique Journey “magnificence”. Magnificent – that’s the right word whenever Journey are in front of you. The keyboards have lost some of the rustic flavor of the originals, but the guitars stick incredibly diligently to Neal Schon’s original tracks. Chalfant kept the necessary dose of crystal clarity in the sound, with the instruments interacting in harmony, and caught the juicy liveliness of the band’s studio heartbeat as one homogeneous, indivisible unit. Here are the seemingly tough trials for a hero who decided to imitate the Journey classics that must be in every Journey repertoire: the ballad Open Arms, whose compositional perfection is always hard to top, then the wonderfully sung Don’t Stop Believin’, Who’s Crying Now, Separate Ways, and the sensually intoxicating Faithfully. Kevin and company pull it all off convincingly. Sure, you’ll find a few deviations from the Journey originals in the keyboard sound and the guitar solos, but the guys stay true to the core Journey cubic capacity throughout. It’s great to run into older classics too, Lights, Feeling That Way, Anytime, and the finale of this tribute is simply magnificent with yet another timeless Journey gem, Send Her My Love.
This is a record that is a true tribute to Journey in the best possible sense of the word. If Chalfant had ever succeeded Perry, we’d most likely have gotten something like this bundle of 13 songs, from Journey themselves too. As said, “Fly 2 Freedom” is an absolute must for all Journey fanatics. It’s an album that’s interesting and appealing for the simple fact that it can effectively bring the pulse of classic Journey back to life. And Journey are a band that’s hard to get close to when covering them. Chalfant has a real touch of filigree precision and is a man who is truly “in Journey” with all his heart and soul! “Fly 2 Freedom” will convince you of that in an instant.
Lineup
Kevin Chalfant – vocals
Mike Higgins – guitar, backing vocals
Michael Gardner – guitar, backing vocals
Chuck Giacinto – keyboards
Randy Haltzer – bass guitar
Timmy Higgins – drums
Joel Chalfant – drums
Production
Kevin Chalfant
Track list
1. Don’t Stop Believin’
2. Separate Ways
3. Who’s Crying Now
4. Stone In Love
5. Anyway You Want It
6. Faithfully
7. Feeling That Way
8. Anytime
9. Just The Same Way
10. Lights
11. Where Were You
12. Open Arms
13. Send Her My Love
