I approached Tomi Malm’s Coming Home with a fair bit of apprehension.
It’s not that Malm isn’t a world-class composer and musician. His 2017 release, Walkin’ on Air, ranked among that year’s best audio treats. If anything, my concern was that Coming Home, which is also out on Contante & Sonante Records, would faithfully reproduce the earlier albums formula yet fail to scale the same musical heights.
Luckily, those fears were eliminated after hearing the second song on the album. “Second Wave” combines familiar AOR elements with the universally respected Bill Cantos’ distinctive voice and Malm’s hook-laden songwriting. The song is a fresh take on the California sound with its immaculate production and deep groove provided by drummer Simon Phillips and Luis Conte and percussion and the late Dan Warner on guitar.
If there was any apprehension after the opening jazz/funk opener “Second Wave,” “Come Away” quickly settles the score. Yes, Coming Home embarks down the familiar path of Walkin’ on Air, but why fix something which is not broken?
Ole Børud of Norway steps to the mic to move the mid-tempo “Are You Real” along. Recalling hints of Ambrosia, the song is immediately compelling. Tomi Malm’s Fender Rhodes-centered arrangement ties together the daring horn arrangement, Tim Pierce’s guitar and the irrepressible rhythm section of Neil Stubenhaus and John Robinson. Borund’s vocal is the icing on a tasty cake.
“Without You Saying a Word” turns down the fire on Coming Home to a simmer. Written by Jeremy Lubbock, rhe ballad features vocalist Marilyn Scott dancing with Malm’s delicate acoustic piano and synthesizers. The contrasting colors works well. “Two Hearts,” featuring co-writer Jerry Lopez, has a distinct David Foster feel. Touches of harmonica by the Fat City Horns’ Tollak Ollestad add a bit of space to the proceedings while propelling the song to its coda.
Just when you get the feeling that this album could use a touch of Steve Lukather, Toto’s last man standing appears the end of the title track. “Coming Home” gives Luke an excellent opportunity to provide a melodic guitar drenched end to the song but doesn’t overshadow the emotive vocals displayed by co-writer Michael Haddad. This song may well be the centerpiece of the album and is simply lovely.
“Solaris” and “Na WeWe (With You)” both offer something different. “Na WeWe,” which features ZoSia, is an international-flavored jazz piece with changes as sharp as a razor. Tomi Malm’s arranging skills are prominent, and the song breaks from the preceding tunes. Meanwhile, “Solaris” is pure jazz fusion. Well, maybe not pure – the hook is clear and distinctive. This instrumental smokes.
“Free Fall,” another instrumental, utilizes Vinnie Colaiuta on drums with the bass of Alex Al to provide additional smoke to Malm’s Fender Rhodes, piano and guitar. The results are simply stunning. Randy Goodrum co-wrote the closing “Hearts In Phase,” also providing his boy-next-door vocal style and irrepressible lyrical charm to this captivating ballad.
As the song fades, I can’t help but think that Tomi Malm has created something, original and beautiful. Coming Home is a worthy successor to Walkin’ On Air, and that achievement is quite astonishing.
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