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Neal Schon Says Journey Has '21 Songs In The Works' For 'Killer' New Album

Journey is hard at work on a new album, and according to Neal Schon they've got almost two dozen songs in the pipeline. The guitarist gave an update on the recording process during a recent interview with Cleveland.com.

“We’re, like, deep in, and it’s sounding really, really great, man,” Schon exclaimed. “It still sounds like Journey, but there is definitely a different strut in the rhythm section. It’s bombastic. It’s rocking. It’s majestic, and it’s soulful. We have 21 songs in the works right now and there’s still more coming in. We’ll end up picking the cream of the crop and put out a killer album.”

As fans know, there was some upheaval in Journey's lineup last year when they fired bassist Ross Valory and drummer Steve Smith and replaced them with drummer Narada Michael Walden, keyboardist Jason Derlatka and bassist Randy Jackson, who formerly played in the band more than three decades ago.

The upcoming album will be Journey's first since 2011's Escape and Schon hopes they can get the first single out next month. He also can't wait to play the new material live when it's safe to do so.

“I felt like it was really important to not just go out and play the same show,” he noted. “We’re always gonna have our hits to play, but I believe we have new hits now. As hard as that is to imagine, these [new songs] sound like bona fide hits to me, and they’re rockin’. There’s no lack of guitar.”

“I’m just all about moving forward right now," Schon concluded. "I’m making so much music and there are so many positive things happening. I’ve bought a lot of new guitars and I’m having a blast playing. We’ll get all this other [stuff] taken care of and behind us, and then it’s just full speed ahead. I can’t wait.”

Photo: Getty Images