Search - Toto :: Falling in Between

The Return Of Toto!!!

Louie Bourland | Garden Grove CA | 04/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Veteran rock band Toto has returned with "Falling In Between", their first studio album in four years and their first with all new original material since 1999's "Mindfields". This is also their first album with new keyboardist Greg Phillinganes. While he is new to the band, Greg is no stranger to the music biz having worked with an endless roster of musicians over the last 30 years ranging from Eric Clapton to Michael Jackson and Phil Collins among many others.

With their latest album, we find Toto continuing to hone their chops and progress musically. If anything, the band is stronger and vital than ever and the album shows a definite resurgence in their musical powers.

The opening title track leans on the recent wave of progressive rock heard from bands such as Spock's Beard and Dream Theater. It is a hard-driving mix of shifting time signatures, straight-forward rock and Eastern influences. Singer Bobby Kimball's voice has definitely not lost any magic here either.

Elsewhere on the album are classic Toto moments such as "Dying On My Feet", "King Of The World" and "Bottom Of Your Soul" which features a guest appearance from former Toto lead singer Joseph Williams. The presence of his voice brings back fond memories of the way Toto sounded in the late '80s and sounds like a "Seventh One" outtake.

The album also has its share of rocking moments. "Hooked" lays down a driving groove while "Taint Your World" pays homage to Van Halen with its fast-paced shuffle rhythms and Steve Lukather's stellar guitar work. For the Van Halen buffs out there, this track sounds a lot like "I'm The One" from the first VH album.

There are also a few musical U-turns here which are heard in "Let It Go" - a Steely Dan-like number in which Greg Phillinganes sings lead in a soulful R&B style - and in the gospel-tinged "Spiritual Man" which could be Toto's first foray into Christian rock. There's some great vocal work from keyboardist David Paich, Bobby Kimball as well as Greg Phillinganes on this track.

The closing instrumental track, "The Reeferman" was originally only going to be a bonus track on the Japanese release of this album. However, it looks like the band has decided to release on the U.S. release as well which is a good thing. Despite its drug-oriented title, this brief instrumental piece finds Toto branching into Miles Davis territory with a vamped fusion groove and a great trumpet lead from Jazz legend Roy Hargrove. A nice coda to a very strong album.

"Falling In Between" is an album that will definitely satisfy the most elite Toto fan. The album is loaded with ear-catching hooks and melodies as well as fantastic musicianship from all the members of the band. While there are some guest appearances from such noted talents as James Pankow and Jason Scheff (both from Chicago) as well as Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, the talented Steve Porcaro and the above-mentioned Joseph Williams, "Falling In Between" is definitely a "band effort". You can hear it in every track here. While the album will probably not be anywhere near as successful as their earlier work, "Falling In Between" will definitely be another hit with Toto's solid fan base.

Another instant classic from Toto!!!

"

From the top of your heart to the bottom of your soul

Murat Batmaz | Istanbul, Turkey | 05/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Falling in Between in Toto's first album in seven years and what a great return it is. With new keyboardist Greg Phillinganes (Phil Collins, Eric Clapton) on board, the band sounds tighter than ever, having written some of their finest songs in a long time. There is so much to enjoy on this disc which might quite possibly be one of Toto's most diverse releases in their long career.



With ten songs and an impressive list of guest musicians, the album makes a solid start with the title track, featuring a distinct Eastern vibe, great vocals, melodic guitars, and a superb keyboard lead by Steve Porcaro. The song both rocks and visits dreamy soundscapes before it ties in with the more progressive rock number "Dying on My Feet", a piece highlighted by terrific vocals, awesome harmonies, and an exceptional horn section at the end. Former Toto singer Joseph Williams appears on the slowly-building "Bottom of Your Soul", with his vocal melodies evoking Jorn Lande's powerful performance on Ark - Burn the Sun. Williams fits the mood of this track perfectly, which utilises a tribal rhythm anchor, hand drums, and mood-intensive acoustic passages. Some chanted Indian vocals add to the track's ethnic characteristic, before multiple vocal lines are exchanged and lead to Steve Lukather's Floydian slide guitar solo over a moving piano melody.



David Paich is the highlight of "King of the World", a dynamic song that recalls Asia's most brilliant era. Paich's vocals are going to appeal to fans of 80's pop meets AOR melodicism with its shimmering key layerings; while "Hooked" is a semi-electronic, hard-rocking number guesting the amazing Ian Anderson on flutes. The album maintains its flow through and through, displaying its different aspects with each track: "Simple Life" is the Lukather-sung acoustic love ballad with an eerie percussion planted deep in the mix; while "Taint Your World" wouldn't seem out of place on the first Van Halen album had it not been for its 70's analog synths and occasional sound effects. One of the most playful songs on the album, it mostly stands out for its amazing run-out solo where Lukather truly steals the show. However, the best guitar song on the album has got to be "Let It Go", delving into the depths of funk-rock, employing a groovy bass motif by Mike Parcaro and out-of-this-world drumming by the amazing Simon Phillips. This album is proof why he is among the most creative and unique drummers in the world. I simply love his work on Falling in Between, mainly because I had no idea he was so good at world music beats as well. "Spiritual Man" is a bit like "Simple Life" in the way that its vocal melodies are so beautiful and gripping that other bands could only dream of writing stuff in this vein. Add to this the brilliant saxophone lead that widens the scope of the song.



Truth be told, I didn't think I'd be so pleased with a Toto album again. This simply came as a great surprise and will surpass many of the year's melodic rock releases."

Thank you Toto for an AWESOME rockin' album!!!

Joshua Banker | Clovis, CA | 04/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"(This is my review that I originally posted on a different version of this album... I have since bought this version for the bonus track which is kinda fun but too short)



I wanted to give my five stars to this album. Right now I consider this my favorite Toto album of all time (Three Toto CDs are all I listen too after getting this album. This, Toto:Love Songs, and The Essentials). And after repeated listening I would say this is somewhere near the top of my music collection. To be honest when I first heard the samples at toto99.com I really didn't like it. The album samples really didn't do this album justice. Each song must be heard in their entirety to be truly enjoyed. For the most part there is nothing formulaic about these songs. Until you are familiar with the songs you really have no clue where the band is going to take you and that is the way good music should be.



Am I in love with every song on here?... nope... but one thing is great is even the ones I am not a huge fan of, there are no duds found here. Also I love the fact that most of these songs aren't sappy love songs!!! Honestly why do 85 percent of pop/rock songs out there have to be love songs! Seriously!



Anyway... there are a lot of good reviews on here so I am not going to give you a track by track review because there are some awesome track by track reviews already on here. If you are a causal fan of Toto's hits you will find elements of what made Toto popular all over this album including vocals by Joseph Williams of "Pamela" fame on "Bottom of Your Soul" which is a beautiful update of the "Africa" sound. If you are a die hard Toto fan do I really need to try to convince you to buy this album. You probably already own it!



BUY THIS ALBUM!!!"