Steve Perry will return with a studio album titled Traces on Oct. 5, according to a since-removed new Amazon listing. This would be the former Journey singer's first new solo project since 1994's For the Love of Strange Medicine.
Amazon also included a 10-song track listing, which you can check out below. Perry apparently hinted at this return yesterday, launching what appeared to be an official website and social media accounts. The initial postings included the message: "I know it's been a long time comin'."
This comeback was, indeed, a long time coming. His last album with Journey dates back to the late '90s. Perry essentially vanished professionally until 2014, when he sat in with the alternative band Eels three times over a few weeks. “I was just having fun,” Perry later said. “In a world where it's hard to keep a secret, it felt so much fun to walk out there to an unsuspecting crowd."
He talked about a new album, then another year went by. Fans remained optimistic; after all, he'd recently signed a new publishing deal. More time passed. He joined his old bandmates for their Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, but declined to perform with them.
Last year, Perry was still promising a new album. Activity in the Perry camp didn't seem to really heat up, however, until this summer. This new social media presence followed reports that Perry was set to appear Oct. 7 on CBS Sunday Morning.
Perry has said this long-delayed project was influenced by the death of a girlfriend. "I met someone and I fell in love with this person, and I lost this person to breast cancer four years ago," Perry revealed in April. "In the midst of that, I had written some songs, and before I met her I had sketched some. And so about a year ago, I started recording. ... And we really have been doing our very best to capture what I think are some timeless songs."
Concord Music
Amazon Track Listing for Steve Perry's 'Traces'
"No Erasin'"
"We're Still Here"
"Most of All"
"No More Cryin'"
"In the Rain"
"Sun Shines Gray"
"You Belong to Me"
"Easy to Love"
"I Need You"
"We Fly"
