Toto, “Chelsea” from ‘Old Is New’ (2018): Toto Tuesdays

Credited to Joseph Williams, Steve Lukather, David Paich and Steve Porcaro, “Chelsea” has more of a Joseph Williams stamp on it than any song from Toto’s Old Is New.

Drummer Vinnie Colaiuta’s galloping yet direct backbeat is something Ringo Starr would be proud of. The music is melodically dense and stands out from the older Toto tracks on the album.

Williams is an excellent arranger and producer who doesn’t waste a note, getting fascinating input from Porcaro on Hammond organ in addition to retro keyboard and synth textures from Paich.

The mid-song bridge and keyboard break are a delight that lead to an all-too-brief Lukather solo. Still, a taste of Lukather is just what this track needed.

“Chelsea” is pure Toto pop at its finest. The song would also have made a solid addition to Williams’ excellent solo album, Denizen Tenant.

Toto Tuesdays is a multi-writer song-by-song feature that explores the band’s rich musical history. Click here for an archive of earlier entries.

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Preston Frazier

Preston Frazier is a bass-playing lawyer living in Atlanta. He is the author of 'Toto: The Band, Not the Dog,' a look at his favorite band. Frazier hosts the music-focused Slang of Ages Podcast and regularly writes about his favorite music on slangofages.com. He can be reached at [email protected]; follow him on Twitter: @slangofages.

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