Ex-JOURNEY Bassist ROSS VALORY To Release Refreshed And Remastered Version Of His Debut Solo Album 'All Of The Above'

Ross Valory, the acclaimed JOURNEY bassist and songwriter, has confirmed August 21 as the release date for the refreshed and remastered version of his debut solo album "All Of The Above" (OID Music). Available for the first time on vinyl and CD, the updated release includes a new Valory instrumental track and video for "City Lights".

This marks the first time "All Of The Above" — originally released digitally in 2024 — will be available on vinyl and CD, and the new version will include a special purple swirl color vinyl with autographed photo exclusively available via Experience Vinyl.

For "City Lights", Valory (who played standup bass on the song) teamed with a talented group of master players: Eric Levy (NIGHT RANGER, GARAGE MAHAL); Steve Smith (JOURNEY, VITAL INFORMATION); Bobby Strickland (TODD RUNDGREN); Stevie "Keys" Roseman (longtime Valory collaborator); and Mic Gillette (TOWER OF POWER horns),who did all the horn arrangements and played trumpet and trombone, including a trombone solo. Together, they "bring a new level of sophistication" to the track, a standout from Ross's vast repertoire, he says. The visually arresting clip for the song is set against the backdrop of New York City — throughout different time periods — capturing the hauntingly seductive instrumental track.

"'City Lights' is really about people out and about in the city, possibly in the rain, looking for and finding romance," Ross adds with a laugh. "It's just the simple enjoyment of nightlife and romance…the adventure, the excitement, the spontaneity. Just being out on the town."

"'City Lights' [and the previously released] 'Nightflower' are really sister songs," Valory says. "They both have — in terms of the time period that they represent — the flavor of the big city at night, and in particular, Michael [Cotten, the video director] and my impressions of Manhattan. And while the two music videos have a different visual storyline, they're both related to nighttime in the city."

The clip marks another collaboration with Cotten who created videos for all the album's tracks ("Touched, Pt. II", "Tomland", "Wild Kingdom", "Windmill", "Nightflower" and Ross's interpretation of WAR's classic cruising anthem "Low Rider", "Incident At Neshabur/Senor Blue", "No One Wins A War").

"All Of The Above" was produced by Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Valory and co-produced by Eric Levy and Jacob Stowe. The ten tracks on the album represent the full maturity of Valory's musical gifts, cutting a broad swath through the instrumental territory the music travels. He plays keyboards, guitar, and, of course, many basses in a display of cultivated virtuosity across a palette far broader than could be found in his work with JOURNEY. He is stepping out from behind his bass and, for the first time in his more than half-century as a professional musician, representing his vision and his compositions.

Valory was part of JOURNEY from its inception in 1973 through 1985, then from 1994 to 2020, when he and drummer Steve Smith departed after being embroiled in a legal dispute with guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain. Valory played on 13 of the band's 15 studio albums. In April 2021, Schon and Cain "reached an amicable settlement agreement" with Valory and Smith.

JOURNEY now consists of Schon and Cain, longtime singer Arnel Pineda, drummer Deen Castronovo, keyboardist/backing singer Jason Derlatka and bassist Todd Jensen.

Photo credit: Jérôme Brunet (courtesy of SRO PR)