''A Journey Through Time'' is the seventh studio album from American singer

Benny Mardones Ruben Armand "Benny" Mardones (November 9, 1946 – June 29, 2020) was an American pop/rock singer and songwriter who was best known for his hit single " Into the Night", which hit the top 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart twice, in 1980 ( ...

. It was released in 2002 by Crazy Boy Records.

Background

''A Journey Through Time'' was originally intended as the soundtrack to the Mardones' documentary "Into The Night: The Benny Mardones Story". However, the album became a loosely separated project, acting as a "musical biography". The album saw Mardones recording the songs that were important to him personally, whether they were new songs or covers. Mardones' illustrated their significance in the liner notes. On the album, a new version of "Into the Night" was recorded, along with an acoustic version. The album featured the previously unrecorded song "Fool for Falling in Love", a song written by Mardones and

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

. The album also features new versions of past Mardones songs including "Sheila C." and "How Could You Love Me". A cover of the

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song "

I'm Gonna Make You Love Me "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" is a soul song most popularly released as a joint single performed by Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations for the Motown label. This version peaked for two weeks at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in the United States, ...

" is included. "I Need a Miracle" received national airplay and charted on the American Adult Contemporary charts, peaking at No. 30 in late 2002. The song "I Want It All" also entered the American Adult Contemporary charts, where it peaked at No. 25 in early 2003. In an August 2002 issue of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', it was reported that the "I Need a Miracle" single had almost four dozen Adult Contemporary outlets who were believers in the song during its first week of release. It was also noted that this was rare for the format and that the record was therefore already garnering major attention.

Track listing

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

stated: "This functions a bit as a musical biography, but it's a newly-written one, since all of the songs are new recordings. It's cleanly produced, but not extravagantly so, and Mardones sings with conviction, giving this real spine; if the new version of "Into the Night" is not a patch on the original - which, even if it flies under the radar, is so popular for a reason - it is hardly embarrassing, and the acoustic version reveals that Mardones can still breathe life into a song he's sung countless times. Throughout ''Journey Through Time'' he does this, singing his past as if it were his present. This may not win over doubters - after all, his powerful arena rock voice may have limited appeal - but for fans, this is a revealing and successful look back at his career, and a worthy companion to the documentary which, unfortunately, has yet to be released on video." Upon release, ''

'' reviewed the "I Need a Miracle" single, commenting: ""I Need a Miracle" is clearly a post-Sept. 11 anthem of hope and perseverance, and the mid-tempo showcases the edgy vocalist delivering an emotive performance - think a slightly more mellow

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...

. But the real appeal for many AC stations is the "tribute" version of the song, which contains numerous statements of overt patriotism from "random" Americans. It's a tried-and-true formula that has worked before - remember Dennis DeYoung's "

Desert Moon ''Desert Moon'' is the debut solo album by former Styx keyboard player/singer/songwriter Dennis DeYoung. It was released in 1984 on A&M Records. To date, it has been the most successful of his solo albums and most successful of any of the Styx m ...

"? - and while it may be perceived as pretty cheesy at points, the song certainly works hard to tug at the heartstrings - and at what better time, with the first anniversary of our nation's greatest tragedy a mere month away."

Chart performance

Singles

"I Need a Miracle" "I Want It All"

Personnel

* Benny Mardones - vocals * Greg Ross - producer, executive producer * Joel Diamond, Duane Evans, Robert Tepper - producer * Jim Ervin - keyboards, percussion, producer * Jim Brickman - guest artist * Mike Jackson - guitar, backing vocals * Angie Jeree Singers, D.L. Byron - backing vocals * Tamara Walker - vocals * Bruce Cox - piano * Kinny Landrum - keyboards * Paul Levante, Bruce Watson - guitar * Lance Morrison, Dean Rispler - bass * Mark Levy - drums * Tommy Oliver - orchestration * Jesse Cannon, Csaba Petocz - engineer * Alan Douches - mixing

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Journey Through Time, A 2002 albums Benny Mardones albums