Man, it's crazy to think how much the band has changed since MP's departure. I remember a time, when these 2-member interviews would usually just contain JP and MP. JP was of course, always one of the main creative and musical forces behind the album, and MP always took that seat as the head honcho, the spokesperson for the album.
Now, James kind of took that over. JP is obviously still the main musical force behind it, but now, JLB is really filling the shoes of the front man. He understands everything about the music and the direction perfectly (not that he never used to, he just never had the opportunity to fully express it, IMO) and is really embracing being the 'front' man of Dream Theater, being the face and the voice of it. Which, I think, is how it should be. He no longer comes off like that guy who flies in from Canada to do the singing. It's much more evident that he's an integral part of the Dream Theater brand.