David Paich – Forgotten Toys
After fellow Toto members, Joseph Williams and Steve Lukather each released a solo album earlier this year, Toto’s founding member David Paich will also release his first solo work next week. Keyboardist, singer, composer, and producer David Paich may not be able to tour the world with Toto due to his health, but behind the scenes, he is still involved as musical director, with his brainchild for which he wrote numerous hitsingles. “Africa”, “Hold the Line”, “Pamela” and “Stop Loving You” are all written by David Paich.
Now on August 19th comes the release of “Forgotten Toys”, Paich’s first solo release. With 7 tracks, “Forgotten Toys” is more of an EP than a full album and that’s a shame because this EP definitely leaves you wanting more.
The EP is audibly made with a lot of care and love. If you make Joseph Williams responsible for the recordings of the vocals, in particular, you know that they will sound like a clock. In addition, people such as Julian Chan and Stefan Nordin contributed to the technical realization of the recordings. Pat Knox, a young, talented artist from LA had the opportunity to learn the tricks of the trade under Paich’s mentorship.
If you’re David Paich and you’re recording a solo EP, it wouldn’t be made without the finer points of the American west-coast musicians playing along. What an occupation! Dean Parks, Don Felder and Steve Lukather on guitar, Nathan East on bass, Gregg Bissonette and Steve Jordan on drums, Lenny Castro on percussion, and a surprise in the person of Brian Eno. Lick your fingers in advance!
Has Paich succeeded in making an EP with this all-star line-up that is just as good as we might expect? The answer to the question is a resounding yes. The EP is packed with very different types of music. Rock, Classical, and Jazz come together seamlessly and showcase the musicality and genius of David Paich.
“Forgotten Toys” opens unexpectedly with a classic overture “Forward’. Beautiful, cinematographic, and with a taste for more, unfortunately, the piece is too short. It turns into “Will I belong to You”, a beautiful rock song with immaculate vocals by Paich and Wiliams. Had it been on “Toto IV” or “Fahrenheit”, it would probably have been a crowd favourite for years.
“Spirit of the Moonrise” is one of the two previously released singles and shows again why Paich has written so many hits for Toto. This track takes you back to the feel of the Toto album “Isolation” and makes us think again of the great, sadly deceased Toto singer Fergie Frederiksen. “Spirit of the Moonrise” has the feel of “Angel Don’t Cry”. The guitar solo is great too!
The most surprising track on “Forgotten Toys” is “Lucy”. A beautiful jazz track as the enthusiasts know from labels like GRP or Blue Note. There is a phenomenal piano solo, played by Michael Lang, who sadly passed away on August 5th. Lang was famous for his playing on virtually every major soundtrack of the last 50 years.
“Forgotten Toys” is a great, but way too short collection of music. A showcase of what the musician and composer David Paich can do. It’s nice that this is all happening at the absolute top level. After being blown away with this EP, we can eagerly look forward to a full album by this grandmaster. (9/10) (The Players Club)
