When PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) interviewed The
Journey frontman Arnel Pineda during the 2008 MYX Music Awards last March, he
mentioned that he and his band mates would be releasing an album in the United
States. By May, The Journey launched their album Revelation at the Ellen
Degeneres show in the United States.
Through MCA Music, Arnel's kababayans will now be able to appreciate the vocal prowess of the Filipino singer who is the vocalist of the American rock band The Journey. In the newly released album Revelation, Arnel performs with Neal Schon (guitar), Jonathan Cain (keyboards), Ross Valory (bass), and Deen Castronovo (drums).
The brand new record will come in a beautifully packaged two CD set, which includes 11 new songs and 11 re-recorded classics with Arnel on vocals.
Revelation is the first album of The Journey to feature the voice of the Pinoy born in Sampaloc, Manila. Guitarist Neal Schon says about Arnel, "We feel reborn. I think there's a lot of chemistry between the five of us. The new stuff sounds tremendous. Everyone's so stoked about it. We feel very fortunate to have found him."
It will be recalled that Arnel was discovered by Schon through the video- sharing site YouTube. In December, Arnel joined The Journey
after being a part of a Manila cover band called The Zoo. Six months later, The Journey kicked off a tour of Europe and the U.S. and released Revelation, a
new album featuring original songs and re-recorded classics that has already
shot up to the fifth highest-selling album in the U.S. since its debut.
Not many people know about Arnel's rags-to-riches story. He
grew up in the Sampaloc area where his parents struggled to raise their four
sons by running a corner shop and tailoring clothes.
He started performing in local singing competitions but tragedy struck when his
mother died. Only 13 years old at the time, Arnel's family became homeless and
had to live with relatives. He chose to live independently, collecting
newspapers and bottles, and living on the street for nearly two years. When he
was 15 years old, a friend encouraged him to start singing again. Thus began Arnel's 25-year career as a cover-band singer in the Philippines and Hong Kong.
The hardships that Arnel experienced are now things of the past as the 40-year old singer enters a new phase in his career.
"Arnel brings a soulful and passionate voice to Journey," points out keyboardist Jonathan Cain. "His personality is very well-suited to our music. He's a sincere, authentic person with a great smile and a big heart. I think fans are really going to love him. With Arnel's soaring tenor, Journey returns to our heritage sound."
Schon and Cain penned all 11 of the new tracks on Revelation. There is no lack of chemistry in Journey, beginning with the songwriting core of Schon and Cain. "I felt strongly about moving forward and writing new material. It was time," Schon states. Schon then put the call into Cain and started the song writing process.
"There's an innate trust and respect for what we each do as we weave our way through this music," says Cain. Schon adds, "In the alphabet, I might be a Z and Jonathan the A, that's just how opposite we are musically sometimes. I write mostly rock and Jonathan writes most of the ballads, but when you combine the chemistry of us together, you'll find that it is the nucleus and sound of what is and has been Journey. And now, with the right voice in place, we have all the right ingredients."
Revelation is available in all Philippine records stores nationwide, courtesy of MCA Music.
TRACK LISTING.
CD1
1) Never Walk away 7) Where Did I Lose Your Love2) Like a Sunshower 8) What I Needed3) Change for the Better 9) What It Takes To Win4) Wildest Dream 10) Turn Down The World Tonight5) Faith in the Heartland 11) The Journey (Revelation)6) After All These Years
CD 2 1) Only The Young 7) Seperate Ways
2) Don't Stop Believin' 8) Lights3) Wheel In The Sky 9) Open Arms4) Faithfully 10) Be Good To Yourself5) Any Way You Want It 11) Stone In Love6) Who's Crying Now