David Paich is an Elton John fan and perhaps never is that more apparent than on “Right Part of Me” from 1998’s Toto XX. With all of the symphonic trappings and trimmings of the instrumental “Child’s Anthem” from Toto’s debut, “Right Part of Me” ups the ante with lush melodies and some of the best vocals ever laid down by Bobby Kimball.
For most of the song, it’s almost hard to tell that this is indeed a Toto song – until a Steve Lukather guitar solo arrives to plant a firm and distinctive Toto stamp on it.
It’s understandable why “Right Part of Me” didn’t make it onto any albums prior to this rarities collection, if only because this track sounds so thematically different than any other on a Toto album. As lush and beautiful “Right Part of Me” is, it would have stuck out like a sore thumb.
That being said, Toto could have pulled a Fleetwood Mac and released it as a single (some of the best songs of the Peter Green era of Fleetwood Mac were non-LP singles). Coming off the success of “Africa,” “Rosanna,” and “I Won’t Hold You Back,” this tune would have kept Toto’s string of hits rolling. Who knows? Had that happened, “Right Part of Me” might have been elevated to the classic status it deserves.
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