Journey, “Trial by Fire,” Columbia. (*)

Apparently after being locked in a closet for 10 years, the members of America’s most soulless band have emerged with an album chock-full of its trademark reverb and wretched singing. After Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain’s promising work with John Waite in the group Bad English, it’s particularly dispiriting to hear their playing crushed by Steve Perry’s familiar vocal histrionics.

*

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).