STORY_TELLER wrote:My feeling is he's experimenting across the board, writing and recording things in different genres and styles. Some Motown, some Jazz, some acoustic, etc. We know he worked with Nuno Bettencourt in the last year. If I had to hazzard a guess, I'd say whatever he did with him is ballad based, not rocker.
At his age, I doubt Perry is interested in making anything along the lines of Revelation. He leaned that way in his 20's and 30's, but I think he's mellowed and grown beyond that.
I agree with Art about his approach on Sandcastles. I'd love an album full of that kind of material. Not unlike "can't let you go" (his Jeff Golub collaboration). That's what makes Perry special. He can float into any style and fit in. He's just that good.
That being said, I also agree with others who think we're not going to see whatever he's working on. I think he's doing it for himself, but unless he's really happy with what he lays down, it will never see distribution. The fact that he has to be told "it sounds like him" without knowing it for himself tells me his burnout was extremely severe. I think he looks back on his body of work and doesn't recognize the person who did all that stuff. Probably doesn't even know how he accomplished it on some level, because it's not him anymore. That's a common effect of severe burnout.
Nice response! Yeah, to this day, I'm blown away with what he and Smith did together on Sandcastles. I include Smith on this because he has never played like that on any other Journey track. I commended him on that the last time I saw Vital Information.
I wonder if Perry was going for a different sound, or expecting to sound different, being that he was surprised that it still sounded like "him."
Whether he puts out new stuff or not remains to be seen. I'm just glad to hear that the creative spark hasn't fizzled out on such a talent. And yes, even if one is being creative for personal reasons or achievements, the gratification is instant...and worth it.