Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Toto
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2015
Running time: 55:59
Rating: 5/5
The American champions of melodic art rock Toto have been written off more than once over the past decade, especially when, after the tour supporting the album “Falling In Between” (2006), they announced in 2008 that all band activities were done. Luckily, in 2010 they ‘ate’ their words and came back ‘from the dead’, and with a killer lead singer to boot: Joseph Williams, who returned to the lineup after a long absence. He’d been gone since the late eighties, and now his triumphant comeback saw him successfully rejoin three original members, namely guitarist/vocalist Steve Lukather, keyboardist/vocalist David Paich and keyboardist/vocalist Steve Porcaro. After a successful tour celebrating the band’s 35th anniversary, it was clear that Toto were enjoying a veritable renaissance of youthful energy and that, after nine years, the time had finally come for a new studio album, which came out under the title “Toto XIV”.
Sadly, during this time the legendary British drummer Simon Phillips left the band after many years together, but his successor Keith Carlock (best known for his work with Steely Dan and Sting) has already proven on “Toto XIV” that he’s a pretty damn good choice. As has long been Toto tradition, the band worked with plenty of interesting guest musicians on “Toto XIV” too, led by former/original bassist David Hungate (who turned down rejoining the band for good and has only worked with them as a guest and live collaborator since 2014), bass oddball Leland Sklar, longtime percussionist Lenny Castro and the renowned singer Michael McDonald (The Doobie Brothers, ex-Steely Dan).
“XIV” is a pretty distinctive beast sonically, which is definitely a compliment for a band with this much mileage on the clock, but if you had to compare it to past achievements, stylistically it’s closest to the album “Fahrenheit” (1986) and especially “The Seventh One” (1988), which were also recorded with Joseph Williams on lead vocals.
The opening banger “Running Out of Time” is already something special by Toto standards, with an excellent driving guitar riff, while on the wings of Williams’ charismatic vocal performance and subtle harmonies a mystical atmosphere quickly takes shape, the kind Toto have often wowed us with in the past. The brilliantly executed hypermelodic chorus, ruled by epic vocal harmonies, is up there with their best work, while Lukather keeps impressing with moving guitar harmonies that blend fluidly with refined keyboard textures. The next track, “Burn”, could be called a prototype of a Toto classic, opening with a melancholic piano intro that strongly recalls some of the touching moments of the past, led by the “Hydra” (1979) evergreen “99”.
“Holy War”, with its socially critical lyrics taking aim at the absurdity of war, especially the more recent ones waged under American leadership, also has a distinctly retro pulse that calls to mind some of Toto’s past evergreens, with an incredibly catchy and infectious chorus that sticks in your ears the most. It’s further proof that the famous band hasn’t forgotten how to make quality melodic rock. “21st Century Blues” is an interesting experiment too, leaning a bit toward the blues, with Lukather taking the lead vocal role in fine form on both guitar and vocals, while the superb multi-voice chorus is once again in place, packing quite a bit of ambient charm under the influence of Steely Dan.
The energetic “Orphan”, where Williams especially shines with his vocal passion, has just the right mix of hard rock potency and pop rock sensibility to make it one of the most interesting moments on “Toto XIV”. As for the lyrics, “Unknown Soldier (For Jeffrey)”, where Lukather once again takes over the lead vocals, is a continuation of “Holy War”, since it also deals with the absurdity of war and the plight of the average American soldier, lost amid the horrors of battle. David Paich and Steve Lukather dedicated the song to their long-departed “brother”, drummer Jeff Porcaro. On “The Little Things”, a slightly too sweet (by usual Toto standards) pop rock ballad that’s still bearable in terms of saccharine content, Steve Porcaro steps up to the main mic and, amid gentle symphonic arrangements, delivers a generous dose of subtle magic.
“Chinatown” is definitely among the strongest atmospheric moments on “XIV”, boasting a very interesting structure and seductive rhythmic turns, plus a terrific chorus led by Williams, with Lukather and Paich’s brilliantly harmonized backing vocals. The mystical and slightly melancholic vibe takes over again here, and you can also find a few parallels with the unforgettable “Toto” (1978) classic “Georgy Porgy”, especially in the nostalgic keyboard and saxophone arrangements. The song was originally sketched out by Steve Lukather back in 1977, but David Paich only finished it last year.
On the ballad-leaning “All the Tears That Shine”, which is nowhere near a new “Africa” but is still a really solid tearjerker for all the softer souls, David Paich decides to try his hand at lead vocals too. He’s the only Toto singer whose voice really shows his true age, which is far from necessarily a bad thing. The slightly funk-tinged “Fortune”, with Williams and Lukather on lead vocals, dispels some of the sentimental aura of the previous song and sets the stage for the big finale. The album’s very catchy closer is the epic “Great Expectations”, which in style and atmosphere is somewhat reminiscent of “The Seventh One” classic “Home of the Brave”, meaning it’s dominated by an awakening mood, a sparkling Lukather guitar solo and a somewhat more complex structure than most of the other tracks.
The release of the new Toto album is a true celebration for every music connoisseur out there, because “Toto XIV” lives up to all the sky-high expectations of the loyal fans who had to wait patiently a full nine years for the big moment. It was also the longest gap between two studio albums in Toto’s history so far, but the wait was worth it, since the album can stand shoulder to shoulder with the peaks of their career. The band was aware of those high expectations and really gave it everything while making “Toto XIV”, which Lukather’s own words in an interview also confirmed. Toto have proven, then, that on the wings of youthful energy and a few refreshing compositional ideas they can still wow us in the studio and turn out work on par with their best days, so we’d be truly grateful if we didn’t have to wait so long for their next album.
This review is dedicated to the memory of former Toto bassist Mike Porcaro (1955-2015), who passed away five days before this album’s release.
Lineup
Joseph Williams – lead vocals
Steve Lukather – vocals, guitar, bass guitar on tracks 5, 6 and 11
David Paich – vocals, keyboards
Steve Porcaro – vocals, keyboards
Keith Carlock – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
David Hungate – bass guitar on tracks 4, 7, 8
Tal Wilkenfeld – bass guitar on 9, 10
Leland Sklar – bass guitar on 2, 3
Tim Lefebvre – bass guitar on 1
Lenny Castro – percussion on 2, 3, 5-10
Martin Tillman – cello on 6, 7
C. J. Vanston – additional synthesizers, production
Michael McDonald – backing vocals on 6, 8, 10
Amy Keys – backing vocals on 4, 6, 8, 10
Mabvuto Carpenter – backing vocals on 5, 11
Jamie Savko – backing vocals on 1, 2, 11
Emma Williams – backing vocals on 2
Tom Scott – saxophone/horn on 4, saxophone on 8
Production
C. J. Vanston, Steve Lukather, David Paich, Steve Porcaro and Joseph Williams
Track list
1. Running Out of Time
2. Burn
3. Holy War
4. 21st Century Blues
5. Orphan
6. Unknown Soldier (For Jeffrey)
7. The Little Things
8. Chinatown
9. All the Tears That Shine
10. Fortune
11. Great Expectations
