Steve Lukather ‘s BRIDGES : review of the best album you will listen in 2023
OltreRock here, I have had the priviledge and the honor to listen to Steve Lukather‘s new album in a particular moment of my life, because a terrible flood has devastated most of Emilia Romagna, the region where I live here in Italy.
I feel grateful and blessed to have my house safe and it took me a while to sit down and write about this incredible album.
Fasten your seat belts ladies and gentlemen, Steve Lukather ‘s new album is gonna kick some serious a**es out there!!!
Eight tracks, a journey through the man and his experiences, the wounds, the scratches and his scars, the need he had to heal and let those heavy baggages at the door.
Music and lyrics paint the perfect balance of what he was and what he is today, you will taste a rock soul together with jazz sprinkles, the romance and the powerful anthem as well, he is just a chameleon and all his colors are just too good to be true.
FAR FROM OVER
Written by Trevor Lukather, Steve Lukather and Joseph Williams, Luke’s son is also the producer and plays guitars, bass, synths and BG vocals, Simon Phillips is on drums and Joseph Williams on BG vocals and synths.
Amongst the repertoire recorded, “Far From Over” is a co-write with his eldest son Trevor. Luke reflects, “It’s funny…when he was born 35 years ago, I looked into his eyes before I cut the cord and said to myself, ‘I wonder IF he will follow in my footsteps?’ He sure did! It is a joy beyond belief cause he really is f*cking good! I wish I could say I taught him everything but I didn’t. He is the only one of my four kids that has gotten into music (so far), and made it his life. He has a natural gift that one can’t learn. I could not be prouder than I am.”
STEVE LUKATHER
Thank me later and pump up the volume, this track begins with the landing Alien on planet earth: this is a powerful anthem full of energy, life and hope, a declaration of a man who does not mean to give up.
Far from over
FAR FROM OVER, CHORUS
I’m not giving it up even though I’m getting older
Far from over
Don’t count me out until I’m six feet underground
Simon Phillips hits hard, this is a pure vortex of talent, this song is complex and full of shades, the guitars tells a story that father and son translate into powerful feelings.
Strong but classy, the lukatheranian touch is his signature: that guitar can range from rage to hope and so are the lyrics, never banal or taken fo granted.
I loved Trev’s backvocals on it: an added value to the song.
100% sure you are “finding your way through the fog again”, Luke.
Rock’n roll is safe and sound you all.
NOT MY KIND OF PEOPLE
Written by Lukather, Paich, Williams and Lynch, we find the amazing Leland Sklar on the bass, Simon Phillips on drums, Maestro Paich on keys and Joseph Williams on BG vocals and syths.
The first impression I got listening to the second song of this work is: take the “Falling in between” (ToTo, “Falling in between” 2007) guitar style and mix it up with “Serpent Soul” (Lukather, “I found the sun again” 2021) vibes and voilà!
The lyrics, people!!!
Rage, disappointment, this is clearly a F**K YOU song, this is the day you hate that someone that hurted you so bad, the day you just can’t even stand the memories and you just wish it was just a nightmare, something to forget as soon as possible.
Many rethorical figures to say that Luke had just enough and hig guitar just reiterates the feeling.
SOMEONE
SOMEONE
Written by Lukather , Williams, Paich, Luke also performs bass on it, Shannon Forrest (ToTo member 2014 – 2019) on drums, David Paich on keys and Joseph Williams on keys, BG vocals + percussion, this is a pure TOTOISH tune (with a “floidish” start).
“I wanted to do a record ‘in the style of,’ as ToTo will never record another studio album. This is as close as we will get.” He continues, “We still love writing and creating and recording together, and we will no doubt continue to work with each other on our respective solo works.”
STEVE LUKATHER
Magic Happens when those amazingly talented Musicians work together and that’s a proof, nothing has changed since the 70’s: the chemistry between them, the brotherhood, the way they musically belong to each other is just natural, it comes easy to be ToTo, despite all.
I am not here to write about gossip or rumors, Luke is here, safe and sound, his new album is simply jawdropping, “does it sound like ToTo?” it does, with a zipped Lukatherian discography in it.
I imagine this 8 tracks album like a 8 days after a breakup: it’s a journey inside the heart and the feelings of a man that experiences rage, sadness, the fuckyouall but also the melancholy, the hope, the need to be set free, the healing wounds and the hurting memories when you try to move on.
You will surely identify with most of those feelings, it’s the Musician but also the Man: Luke wrote a painful slice of life in music and in some tracks you can touch with bare hands the distress, he just sound the most honest he could.
And believe me, he is just divine and this is not the opinion on a fangirl in love , the album is really good.
High quality music, and today it’s unusual, in a world of plastic, fake music and wannabes this is a shining diamond in a bunch of dirty rocks.
ALL FOREVERS MUST END
Co-Written with the lifelong friend Randy Goodrum, Steve plays also piano on it while Joseph Williams is on Keys, BG vocals and percussion, Leland Sklar on Bass and Shannon Forrest on drums.
This ballad has a great 80’s vibe revised in 2023: romantic, sad, bittersweet tears coming, prepare you tissues.
It’s the day you realize you have to find to find the strength and the courage to be back on your feet again even if it hurts: it’s in the middle of the album and in the middle of the process you have to live to be finally free.
The guitar is grieving with dignity, this tune is delicate, but meaningfully strong and the title says it all.
WHEN I SEE YOU AGAIN
Written by Lukather, William, Paich and Lynch, Luke performs also Bass on it while Joseph is on Keys and BG vocals, Maestro Paich is on keys and Simon Phillips is on drums.
100% ToTo, nothing more.
You can read my review of the song here:
TAKE MY LOVE
Written by Steve Maggiora (ToTo current keyboardist + vocalist, that guy is amazingly talented!) and Warren Huart ( The Fray, Aerosmith), Jorgen Carlsson on bass, Shannon Forrest is on drums, Joseph Williams on BG vocals + synths and Steve Maggiora on all Keys and BG vocals, this track will make you feel like in a smoky jazz club with soft lights.
Luke asked Maggiora for a “dirty blues” song and he just delivered: the perfect way to transpose his memories in a love song.
Luke’s voice just scratches your soul together with the classy jazzy virtuoso solo , you can’t help falling in love.
I loved the keys, Maggiora did great, but most of all the fact that Luke can run through lots of musical genres absolutely effortless, and still be true to himself: that is a lukatherian guitar, I would recognize his touch between thousands of guitarists, it’s his trademark, he can play everything, he’s not stuck in a watertight compartment.
BURNING BRIDGES
Written by Lukather, Lynch, Paich, Williams, we have the great Simon Phillips on drums, Leland Sklar on bass, Maestro David Paich on keys and Joseph Williams on keys, bridge vocals and percussion.
Half-title track, here we go again, you can breathe and taste Toto in every single note, Maestro Paich brings those butterfly touch on keys that mixes together with the voice of Joseph and Luke’s guitar feels like going back home: Steve wanted to go back to the roots with lifelong bandmates and friends.
At first listening this tune gave me big 90’s Tambu (ToTo 1995) vibes, it’s… familiar.
You can say that those hands on instruments and voices worked together all their life long.
And according to the lyrics, this song capture the moment in which you decide that you need to be set free from those burdens that keeps you bond with the past.
It’s time for anger to fly away and turn the page.
I’LL NEVER KNOW
Written by Lukather and Williams, Maestro Paich is on keys, Jorgen Carlsson on bass, Shannon Forrest on drums and Joseph Williams, this is the last song of the album and there is no happy ending for the hero of the story.
This is the saddest, darker song of the album, you just can feel the emptyness and the pain of a goodbye you never wanted.
The guitar here is a Queenian one, I got the “Made in heaven” (Queen, post Freddie, 1995) vibe, melancholic, it just cries, it’a song that just freezes you in your deepest sorrows.
A musical chameleon, he needed to take a breath of fresh air and work again with brothers that were by his side all life long and create good music with a good laugh.
There is no doubt this is the best album you will listen in 2023, Luke just never disappoint, 10 out of 10.
Preorder the album at the following page:
Pump up the volume!
Marica_OltreRock