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With Tall Stories Augeri does a great job of distancing hims

George Dionne | Cape Cod, MA | 09/03/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Good

For those that don't know, Tall Stories features former Journey singer Steve Augeri. Tall Stories is not a new group by any means. Augeri fronted the band prior to his gig with Journey. Now that his "Don't Stop Believin'" days are over, Steve's gone back to his comfort zone. Meaty guitar riffs and echoed vocals create a Led Zeppelin feel on "Clementine." Augeri gets his blues on with "Superman," and does a surprising good job at it too. "Tomorrow" has one of those epic, high-energy grooves to it. "No Justice" is lead by a thick bass line that really carries the track. "Eternal Light" takes a tribal drum beat and mixes it with some heavy riffs and Augeri's great melodies. "Pictures of Summer" re-creates that warm summery feel with acoustic tones and sweet melodies.



The Bad

There's a lot of ebb and flow when it comes to the albums energy level and musical style. Seems more of a pet project rather than a focused, well-planned effort.



The Verdict

Despite being ousted from Journey for throat problems, Augeri's vocals sound great to me. Although Steve only challenges his range a few times, he still has a soulful and melodic tone. One of the voices that seem very familiar. With Tall Stories Augeri does a great job of distancing himself from his Journey days by focusing on a more bluesey feel.



The album's feel changes quite often from rock to blues, from rockers to ballads, as well as branching into other styles of rock. It's a bit much to be going back and forth like that, but at least the quality of the music is good. If you like blues rock, this album is worth a listen. If you are curious because you heard Augeri in Journey, you may want to pass."

A good sophmore effort

K. Douglas | Accokeek, MD | 04/05/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I accidentally found this on iTunes and gave it a shot. I've been a huge Journey fan for years, so I was already familiar with Steve Augeri's work. While this is a good solid CD, I still prefer the self-titled Tall Stories CD....having said that, this is still a pretty good, diverse CD with plenty of different styles of music"

Tall Order

Glenn O. Kirms | Anywhere, USA | 04/14/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is Tall Stories 2nd album after a much prolonged hiatus. Steve Augeri who led Journey for three albums is back at the helm. There is always more to the story as to why Steve left Journey. Health was cited, but I'm sure it was more than that. Just listening to some of the songs the album has a heavier edge to it and I would surmise that there were creative differences between Steve, Neal and John (I think Neal and John love the pop side these days as compared to Neal's roots as evidenced in their latest release 'Revelation'). But for those of you that loved Tall Stories first album and loved Steve with Journey then this is a must have and you shouldn't be disappointed."