Legendary TOTO guitarist STEVE LUKATHER will release his latest solo album “I Found The Sun Again” on February 26th via The Players Club/Mascot Label Group.
A prolific session musician “Luke” has recorded guitar tracks for more than 1,500 albums, representing a wide range of artists and genres, after 45 years in business. He began playing young, in the San Fernando Valley, California, where he met the Porcaro brothers who later formed Toto, in 1976.
Lukather won three of his five Grammy Awards working with Toto, twice as an artist and once as a producer. He also achieved notoriety in the 1970s and 1980s as one of the most sought-after session guitarists in Los Angeles, playing with artists such as Aretha Franklin and Warren Zevon.
His ninth solo studio album “I Found The Sun Again” was co-produced by Ken Freeman, who also engineered and mixed the new collection.
Among the illustrious guests on the album are drummer Greg Bissonette, keyboardist Jeff Babko, and bassists Jorgen Carlsson and John Pierce. Life-long friend and Toto band-mate David Paich performs piano & organ across the album, while Joseph Williams sang on multiple tracks alongside writing string and horn arrangements and tracking keys on “Run To Me,” which Paich and Williams co-wrote.
Friend and band leader of the All-Starrs, Ringo Starr also makes a special appearance on the recording and in the video. Other co-writers include Stan Lynch, Jeff Babko, and of course Joseph William.
The album title track “Along For The Ride” is a squirty whisk-broom of brandied chunks of guitar, puckery rhythms and buttery vocals. This is a lubricious mix of soft rock sounds that wouldn’t have been out of place on a spring episode of BBC’s Top of the Pops circa 1985, alongside (perhaps) Helen Terry, Peter Gabriel, and Sting. Of course, what makes this stand out, though, is the fast-paced and absolutely irresistible guitar work that comes towards the end (and is well worth the wait). Triffic!
Funky slow-stepped “Serpent Soul” is a soulful and intoxicating pootle with lavish key flutter and fluoroboric guitar streamers. Yes, this is top quality.
While “Welcome To The Club” is super stylish and soulful with a thunderous semi-acoustic riff that will have glam-rockers strutting down the track. The punchy percussion is expressive and bold, and there are big chunks of Toto-like synth chords, though it also goes wild when the guitar runs away and filigrees around the root of the song. This is utterly polished, kinda worldly-wise in a Steely Dan kinda way, and full of intricate, incremental swirls and vibes. Phenomenal!
The album concludes with the spacey blues number “Bridge Of Sighs” that comes with huge batons of rhythm, rickety guitars that that turn into Velvert Turner-style lyrical eruptions, and a heavisome sense of utter consternation at what we might have become.
“I Found The Sun Again” is out February 26th via Players Club / Mascot Label
File alongside Earth, Wind & Fire, The Isley Brothers, Band of Gypsys
Words: @neilmach 2021 ©
Link: http://www.stevelukather.com/
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