The New Journey Project - Hard Road
Released 10th September 2019
Review by; DeeDee
The Multi talented Neil Priddy has taken time out from playing lead guitar in the Sabbath tribute band, ‘Sabbra Cadabra’, to deliver a solo release under his THE NEW JOURNEY PROJECT creation.
Starting with a forceful number like ‘The Crossroads’, which is about selling your soul at that junction, I was inclined to think this is going to be an album full of epic AOR power ballads. But as we progress into ‘Woman In Black’ with its classy guitar intro and clear vocals from Neil, I soon realise ‘Hard Road’ is out to surprise me. ‘Deads Man’s Hand’ which is a tribute to Motorhead and tells of Wild Bill Hickok’s demise over a game of poker, is a more uplifting rocker and is followed by ‘No Ones Coming For Me’ which continues the idea in a way and has an incredible chorus.
Another twist with ‘Save me From Hell’ when the guitar delves deeper and this also has a hook that sticks with you. The title track ‘Hard Road’ begins with soulful strings, then turns into a quite a menacing disturbance, sounding like early Sabbath. There are a few tracks on this album, that Neil performed when he was the vocalist for the Electric Rebels, one that stands out is ‘What We Are Living For’ fast paced and smooth , it’s back to the AOR style. All the tracks so far have been written and performed by Mr Priddy, however the last track ‘The Demon Hides In Me’ allows Ian Quayle, who wrote the lyrics, to take over the mic. A pleasant end to the album, having powerful lines and excellent backing vocals.
Hard Road is a credit to Neil’s song writing and gives you a chance to discover this exceptional guitar player and vocalist, as a solo performer. The diverse nature of the tracks, define his ability to expand on themes and the result is quite stunning.
4/5
Vinyl replica compact disc complete with vinyl-style mini gatefold sleeve and vinyl inner sleeve. Even the CD label is based on a vintage record label style complete with 33â…“ and A side/B side track listing - please note; CD is obviously single sided playback! Label is purely designed to replicate a vinyl LP.
Includes unlimited streaming of Hard Road via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Recorded and engineered by Will Farley at Pressure Drop Stockport between May and August 2019.
Produced by Neil Priddey.
Album artwork by Neil Priddey.