It isn’t easy to consider Toto a legacy band, since they’ve remained so active.
We’ve been fortunate to get stellar “solo” projects from Steve Porcaro (2016), Joseph Williams and Steve Lukather (2021) featuring various Toto bandmates. We even got a bunch of new and thoroughly reworked old songs in Toto’s aptly titled Old Is New album from 2018.
The current version of the band has also been tearing up stages in the U.S. and Europe for the past two years, but one key player who has held a relatively low profile is cofounder, keyboardist and musical director, David Paich. Forgotten Toys, Paich’s first solo release, changes that.
Paich delivers what you expect from the composer of songs like “Rosanna” and “99.” With the help of producer Joseph Williams, Paich’s Forgotten Toys is expertly played and quite engaging.
The Grammy awarding-winning songwriter kicks things off with the lovely snippet “Forward,” with Paich providing all the keyboard touches on the instrumental. Reminiscent of Rick Wakeman, “Forward” is a tease to what’s to come on Forgotten Toys, and also makes the listener wonder what a proper progressive rock album by David Paich might entail.
“WillIBelongToYou” doesn’t continue the musical theme set by “Forward” but does represent the motifs of songs that Paich has had for some time. While Paich composed the music, he brought in Toto frontman Joseph Williams to work on the lyrics. The result is a solid middle-of-the-road rocker which utilizes Paich’s vocals to great effect.
Williams’ tenor is equally featured on “willibelongtoyou,” creating a Toto-like vibe. Special mention to studio ace Dean Parks who, along with Steve Lukather, provides the guitar grit. Williams also adds effective synth pads, which compliment Paich’s organ and piano parts.
“Spirit of the Moonrise” turns up the heat, as Lukather contributes a forceful lead guitar part that contrasts with the in-pocket bass and drum program by Paich. The lyrics are dreamy, and much more visual than Paich’s pre-Isolation work. Added touches, such as Lenny Castro’s congas and Warren Ham’s saxophone, further link the song to Paich’s Toto past, while Steve Lukather’s melodically restrained solo is one of the best on Forgotten Toys. Oh, and Michael McDonald adds additional sweetening.
A more world music feel is found in “First Time.” This Paich/Williams composition continues a theme of direct narratives on Forgotten Toys, with music flowing over a bed of percussion from Robin DiMaggio and Lenny Castro. While lacking the finesse of Toto songs like “Mushanga,” the lyrics here are graceful and Elizabeth Paich’s vocals contribute to the elegance of this song.
The rock-radio friendly “Queen Charade” features David Paich’s powerful lead vocal, accompanied by Warren Ham’s growling harmonica work. The song doesn’t contain an ounce of fat, as Steve Lukather provides the rhythm guitar and long-time Paich friend Don Felder kicks in hefty slide guitar parts. Current Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordon adds a swampy back beat to further the song’s live feel.
The last two songs feature two departed Paich compadres. “All The Tears That Shine,” co-written with the late Michael Sherwood, features Sherwood on lead vocals along with his brother Yes member Billy Sherwood on backing vocals. A stellar update of this song was included on Toto XIV. For Forgotten Toys, Paich pulls out an original take from earlier sessions with Micheal Sherwood. In this setting, “All The Tears That Shine” is even more poignant.
“Lucy,” the album-closing instrumental, features the late Michael Lang on piano. Written with Lang, the song’s straight-ahead jazz points to another direction a David Paich solo album could have taken. Touches of vocals by James Torme’, sympathetic guitar by Ray Parker Jr., and Lenny Castro’s percussion hit home the fact that as an EP, Forgotten Toys is too short.
Hopefully, it’s just an opening salvo in David Paich’s long overdue solo career.
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