The centrepiece of the Paul-is-dead conspiracy theory was that McCartney had died in 1966 and been replaced by a sound-alike augmented with plastic surgery. Journey are hardly the Beatles, and Arrival, the zillion-selling band's first studio album in nearly five years, puts a fitting twist on the story by hiding its Steve Perry doppelganger in plain sight. New lead singer Steve Augeri has not only the voice, but all its inflections--notably Perry's trademark "wo-oh-oh" Sam Cooke homage--down pat. Getting it down pat is what this collection is all about; the opening "Higher Place" thumps with a rock! melodrama so familiar it should be titled "Separate Ways Part 2", while the power ballads that follow recall the pre-Bon Jovi days when Journey ruled as a kind of school disco Air Supply. Arrival is one of those records you already know you love or hate before you hear it, but even fans might feel a lack of heat compared to the Perry-era outfit's Greatest Hits. --Rickey Wright