The former Journey singer’s first record in 25 years marked his return to music; he’s since released a stripped-down, acoustic version of the set and has returned to the studio to create more new music.
“I’m already in the studio,” Perry tells American Songwriter. “My studio is in a bunker underneath my house. Drums can be loud, guitars and amps can be loud. I’m down in there sketching more songs. I’m agonizing over the lyrics of a particular one right now. One day, I love the way the lyric is feeling. The next day I change my mind and want to go back to the original lyrics. That’s where I woke up this morning: I wanted to revisit the original lyric that I thought yesterday wasn’t right.
“We’re talking one word,” he adds. “I’ll highlight that word for now in my writing sketch, and I’ll drop in and change that one word and drop out. And I’ll listen and see if I’m OK with that word change. It can be a pothole in the road or it can be a smooth highway.”
For his just-released edition of “Traces”, Perry removed much of the production elements from the original 2018 record to showcase the material in its barest form….and he plans to continue that process moving forward.
“With Alt Versions & Sketches, I just wanted to strip it down to see if, emotionally, it really speaks by itself,” the rocker explains. “It’s going to be a different emotion, but it’s another valid, worthy emotion when you strip it down and take all the clothes off it, and it’s just naked there with melody and lyrics. I think it has to come back down to that.
“I think I always want to do that from now on. After I do some project, I’m going to always want to do stripped-down versions, because the songs deserve their own stripped-down moment.”
See also:
Steve Perry streams new acoustic version of Beatles classic
Journey guitarist Neal Schon details new solo album Universe
Journey guitarist Neal Schon to release new solo album
Steve Perry streams new acoustic version of No Erasin’
Search Journey at hennemusic
