Originally only available on the Toto All In box set from a few years ago, the band have now released Old Is New as a standalone CD, and it's of immediate interest to any fan as it contains ten tracks, seven of which are previously unreleased, and three available on the 40 Trips Around the Sun hits collection. Considering that the band seem to be 'retired' at the moment, Old Is New is the closest thing fans will get to a new album for the foreseeable future.
"Alone" kicks things off in fine fashion, a bright, hook laden hard rocker with a terrific lead vocal from Joseph Williams, an easy pick for highlight of this set. Plenty of keyboards courtesy of Williams, David Paich & Steve Porcaro and a blazing guitar solo from Steve Lukather round out this excellent track. "Devils Tower" shows the bands affinity for progressive rock, jazz-fusion, and well crafted pop, Lukather & Williams sharing the lead vocals on this memorable song, while "Fearful Heart" is a soaring pop-rock number drenched in keys and Luke's crunchy guitar riffs. Fans of the classic "Africa" will love the engaging "Spanish Sea", Paich & Williams delivering the irresistible melodies, and "In a Little While" is a tender ballad sung by Lukather and featuring his lovely acoustic guitar picking. The memorable "Chelsea" follows, another hook laden number that again shows how great these guys are at crafting catchy pop tunes, another of which is "Chase the Rain", which has a feel not unlike their classic track "99" from their 1979 album Hydra. After another ballad "Oh Why" (perhaps the weakest track here) the band come back with the hard rock gem "Struck By Lightning", packed with muscular guitars, slamming drums, and a potent Williams vocal, and round out this set with "We'll Keep on Running", which is a collaboration with What So Not & SKRILLEX that is more in a techno, dance/pop style, and doesn't sound like Toto at all, and a curious inclusion here.
Overall, a solid set of Toto leftovers that will be of great interest to any completist, and while a few of the songs are marginal at best, there's still plenty to love on Old Is New to make this an easy recommendation.
Track Listing
1. Alone (Lukather/Paich/Porcaro/Williams)
2. Devil's Tower (Lukather/Paich/Porcaro/Williams)
3. Fearful Heart (Lukather/Paich/Porcaro/Williams)
4. Spanish Sea (Lukather/Paich/Porcaro/Williams)
5. In A Little While (Paich/Porcaro)
6. Chelsea (Lukather/Paich/Porcaro/Williams)
7. Chase The Rain (Lukather/Paich/Porcaro/Williams)
8. Oh Why (Paich)
9. Struck by Lightning (Lukather/Paich/Porcaro/Williams)
10. What So Not & TOTO feat. SKRILLEX - We'll Keep On Running
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
