Generations

"Generations" is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band Journey. It marks the last album featuring lead singer Steve Augeri and the second album with drummer Deen Castronovo, solidifying the lineup from 2000's Arrival and 2002's Red 13 EP. The band gave away the album for free during most concerts on the Generations Tour in 2005, before its official release on Sanctuary Records later that year.

This album is notable for being the first where all band members share lead vocal duties, a decision Augeri later revealed in 2022 was due to his voice suffering from fatigue. Jonathan Cain takes the lead on "Every Generation" and "Pride of the Family" (exclusive to the Japanese edition), marking his first lead vocal since "All That Really Matters" from the Time3 box set. Deen Castronovo sings lead on "A Better Life" and "Never Too Late," while Neal Schon provides vocals for "In Self Defense," and Ross Valory lends his voice to "Gone Crazy."

Critical reception was mixed upon release; many praised Augeri's performance and the band's more diverse musical direction compared to previous albums, though opinions were divided on the decision to share lead vocals.

The album peaked at No. 170 on the Billboard 200 chart. Generations was the final album featuring Augeri, who left the band mid-tour in 2006 due to a throat infection. He was replaced by Jeff Scott Soto, who toured with Journey until June 2007. This album was also the only Journey release under the now-defunct Sanctuary Records.

The latter portion of "Faith in the Heartland" was featured on the December 10, 2006 edition of NBC's Football Night in America during a segment about Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Both "Faith in the Heartland" and "The Place in Your Heart" were later re-recorded with new vocalist Arnel Pineda for their 2008 album Revelation, though "The Place in Your Heart" was only available as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of that album.