Toto’s 1999 release Mindfields proved to be both a leap forward and a leap back.
After a successful mini-tour in support of 1998’s Toto XX which included original frontman Bobby Kimball, the band reinstated him as a member. While Kimball was still challenged to lay down his parts quickly, David Paich was able to get eight songs with strong lead vocals from the singer. Kimball also added lyrics to three tracks.
Elliot Scheiner returned to co-produce the album, but there was a new writing collaborator, Phil Soussan. The British bassist for Ozzy Osbourne and others was a co-writer on several songs from Steve Lukather’s Luke album and cowrote the opening song on Mindfields, “After You’re Gone.”
The mid-tempo rocker starts off with Simon Phillips on tablas and a mid-Eastern vamp, which is supported by Paich’s piano and Mike Porcaro’s cello contributions. The song’s vamp hints at George Harrison with a distinctly bluesy vide. Backing vocals by Lukather, Kimball and Paich with Soussan, Mark Hudson and Timothy B. Schmidt continue to build, but never overpower Steve Lukather’s lead vocal.
Despite the obvious craftsmanship, “After You’re Gone” seems a weird opener for Mindfields, as it floats along but doesn’t attempt to make a big opening statement. It is also seems unusual that Bobby Kimball’s voice is not given the opportunity to kick off the album. “After You’ve Gone” would have made a fine solo song on a Steve Lukather album, but its inclusion on Toto’s Mindfields is puzzling.
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