Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

There is no doubting that Toto will considered as one of the finest of America’s ever bands, a group of musicians that came together with a certainty in their collective hearts, and one that inspired their listeners to examine, like groups such as Chicago, Kansas, and Journey, their relationship with classic American Rock in an age that has straddled beyond its perceived time as the voice of a generation that sought to change the world in the shadow of the elders who stood still after they stopped being the Golden Generation.

A huge reason for that success will be laid at the door of Steve Lukather, who by the process of time’s advance, is the soul keeper of the historic sound, and who remains the push of all that Toto continue to perform live, even if he the only member to have been through every album and incarnation.

So, if you cannot bring new Toto music to the ears of the fan, then the option becomes, let Steve Lukather to continue the journey, not Toto light, for he is worthy of the name of maestro himself, but as a supplement, a continuance of the legend, and along  with band mate David Paich, continue to build Bridges, to rise above the river of time that slowly erodes all foundations that are untended, for it is in Mr. Lukather that the songs of love and time flow.

There has always been a flavour of perception when it comes to the solo career of Steve Lukather which arguably isn’t readily available when listening to Toto as a whole. It is the distinctness of the guitar which marks out the drama, the love, and the independence of thought in his latest solo album, and with additional support from the aforementioned David Piach through to the stunning work of musicians such as Leland Sklar, Joseph Williams and Trev Lukather, what comes across is a moment of crowning creativity.

Eash track is a creation steeped lyrically in his own musing, the music is malleable and full of vigour, but the lyric is driven by a thought of making choices and underlining the result with extraordinary precision. From Far From Over, The truth of All Forevers Must End, Someone, When I See You Again, and Burning Bridges, the legend weaves personal tales which act as a kind of biographical incense, a vessel, a thurible, which cleanses the air which had become hazy by time itself.

A piece of work that is arguably more reflective than any associated with one of the foremost guitarists of his, and any generation. Bridges need to be crossed, but it is the willingness of continuance that makes each one a monument of beauty to traverse.

Ian D. Hall