Legendary singer-songwriter and Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Steve Perry makes his long-awaited return with Traces, his first new album in nearly a quarter century, out Friday, October 5th via Fantasy Records (Concord Records/UMG).

Last Friday, August 17th, Steve was a guest on the 1,000th episode of WCBS-FM's Scott Shannon In The Morning, broadcast from the Radio.com Theatre in New York City.

Right off the bat, Scott Shannon asks Steve, "Where have you been for 24 freakin' years, what happened, where'd you go?," to which Perry responds, "Oh, man! That's the question of the day. The band was really, really fortunate to be successful, and at some point, you know, I got a little bit toasty, a little burned out, and coupled with a serious touring schedule, and, like I said, being crispy, and back in the day, we all had a little bit of what we might call extra party behaviours, maybe... and when you put the party behaviours together with a little bit burned out, I was toast. And it was an unpopular decision I came up with at the time, which was just to stop. And I told the band, and they were not happy about it. But the biggest thing I was really concerned with was the fans. Because I knew it was gonna be a painful decision for me to walk away, but sometimes you just have to take care of yourself, even if it hurts to do so, you know, you have to do that."

Interview with Steve Perry begins around the 35:30 point below:

Perry introduced the upcoming Traces album with the lead track “No Erasin’” and reassuringly greets fans with the opening line “I know it’s been a long time comin’.” The track is an emotional homecoming, a familiar welcome from the iconic voice and writer of Journey’s timeless, global hits including “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Faithfully,” and “Open Arms,” as well as the significant solo success of “Oh Sherrie” and “Foolish Heart.”

Perry says, “Putting 30 years into 10 songs has certainly been an emotional experience for me. I started writing and recording these songs with the creative freedom that I was the only one who would ever hear them. Along the way, I rediscovered my love for music. Each track represents traces of my past, but is also a hopeful look into the future. I invite you to listen with an open heart.”

Produced by Perry alongside co-producer Thom Flowers, Traces is the artist’s most vulnerable and honest recording to date, balancing tremendous loss with enduring hope and beauty. The album is a collection of nine original tracks that encompass the spectrum of human emotion, and also features a beautifully reimagined cover of The Beatles’ “I Need You” (see full tracklisting below). It is the work of an artist who has reconnected with his music in a new way.

Traces is available now for pre-order on CD, digital download and 180-gram vinyl, here. Signed and exclusive bundles can be found here. The performance video for “No Erasin’” can be viewed below.

Tracklisting:

"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"

"No Erasin’" video: