Toto
XIV

"That "Toto XIV" is the thing closest to our classics is undeniable. Self-congratulatory? Maybe, but who cares: we don’t have to answer to anyone." (David Paich, 2015)

We now regularly witness the reissue of many classic albums and others, on the occasion of the various anniversaries from the original release. Well-crafted operations by record labels that rely more on the benevolent affection of the devoted fan than on capturing the interest of a generation more inclined to seek out so-called liquid music, publishing at least a remastering of the original product, in many cases enriched with bonus tracks, or even embellished with an additional disc of live versions, still untouched in the vaults of the lucky label.

For those bands that have the fortune (and will, yes just so…) to still be around, instead of quietly consenting (and let’s be honest, without an ounce of effort) to the simplest operation of reissue, have the courage to look back at the good things done, drawing from it the same vital essence for a new genuinely original product. This is the case with Toto who, despite the many vicissitudes faced over the years (from changes in singers to the losses of Jeff and Mike Porcaro), after the fluctuating album of covers THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS (2002) and the sunny FALLING IN BETWEEN (2006) which marked the group's artistic rebirth, release a new album capable of meeting the expectations of devoted fans and admirers of good music who were eagerly waiting for it.

The sound of XIV is set on a personal elaboration of clear AOR roots, which brings together all those stylistically distinctive elements that have contributed over the years to characterize an excellent and never arrogant musical blend. The eleven tracks presented prove that we stand before a band masterful and aware of being able to play music filled with emotion and passion, without relying on it to overshadow a creative capability perhaps diminished over the years. Therefore, the polished sounds of their beginnings should not be missed, nor the rhythmic breaks capable of marrying jazz and rock in an apparently perfectly natural combination, where elaborate melodies act as a glue to everything. With "Holy War" Lukather's riffs can even evoke an "Afraid of Love", while the drama of "Unknown Soldier (for Jeffrey)" perfectly harks back to the fascinating sounds of THE SEVENTH ONE (1988) and is dedicated to the legendary drummer who passed away in 1992, while the simplicity of "The Little Things" synthesizes, adapting it to the times, a purely pop vein that only Steve Porcaro's vocals could delight without becoming sterile mellowness. Ballads are not lacking, and "All the Tears That Shine" represents one of the most beautiful songs ever by David Paich, who performs it masterfully, delighting us once more in the magical west coast shades of "Chinatown" (written in 1978…) where he shares the microphone with Joseph Williams and Lukather.

It is a brilliantly Toto album in every aspect, where the group reclaims itself and elegantly crafts a circular sound, defining it best according to today’s breath. A perfect balance between electric tracks and high-quality ballads, chiseling the tracks with finesse and always high-level musical coloration. Proof of this is the polyrhythmic "Orphan" that anticipated the release of the work, exuding vigor and torment, while "Running Out of Time" earns its role as the opener, leaving the album’s closure to that successful compendium of stylistic variety that is "Great Expectations", whose sharp nuances highlight an emotional humus of prog origin, which the group has always naturally inclined towards.

Far from being an operation devised at the drawing board, the new album benefits from the full-time rentrée of Paich (who in 2006 stepped away due to strictly family issues) alongside Lukather always steady at the helm, but also from that positive breeze brought by the return behind the microphone of Williams and that of David Hungate - the unforgettable bassist of the first four albums - for some tracks. A tracklist that deserves to be savored in every detail, still striving today to enjoy an uncontrollable artistic exclusivity, unimaginable after almost forty years, even for those two members (Lukather and Paich indeed…) of the same band that at the outset hastily decided to take the name of Dorothy's dog from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz".