McCartney Times

Former Journey frontman Steve Perry was welcomed back with open arms in October of 2018, when he released his solo album Traces in October. It was his first collection of new original songs since his final record with his old band, 1996’s Trial by Fire, and his first solo effort since 1994’s For the Love of Strange Medicine.Perry completely withdrew from the music business after leaving Journey in 1998, but, as he explained in interviews and press statements promoting Traces, several years ago his passion for music began to return.Around that same time, he started a romantic relationship with a woman named Kellie Nash, who sadly died of breast cancer in December 2012 and also served as the main inspiration for the new album. Steve says that before she passed away, Kellie made him promise “not to keep isolating myself anymore,” advice he took to heart.Traces features nine original tunes and a soulful cover of the George Harrison-penned Beatles song “I Need You.” It debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200, making it Perry’s highest-charting solo album ever.Explaining his goal for making the new album, Perry noted, “I’m not trying to top what I’ve done in the past, or better anyone or anything. That stuff doesn’t matter to me now. In a way, it’s this simple: When I had something to say again, I said it.”He added, “All I’m trying to do now is make music that really matters to me and, I hope, maybe, will really matter to other people too.”Perry has not performed live since releasing Traces, although he did several TV interviews and also put out a series of videos featuring him singing with a backing group in the studio.In December, Steve released a special holiday gift for fans, a rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”Copyright © 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

Source: The Year in Music 2018: Oh Perry! Ex-Journey singer returns with solo album after 20-year hiatus