Toto XIV is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Toto (though the band's fourteenth album overall, when one counts Toto XX). Toto released the album on March 20, 2015. It is the band's first studio album since Falling in Between in 2006.
The album marks the return of Joseph Williams on lead vocals, Steve Porcaro on keyboards and vocals, and original bassist David Hungate (while the latter left the band several months later, he appeared on select tracks on the band's following album Old Is New in 2018) and the only album with drummer Keith Carlock. It is also the first studio album since 1982's Toto IV not to feature longtime bassist Mike Porcaro, who had been inactive since 2007 due to ALS and died five days before the album's release.
Background Their final contractual obligation with Frontier Records, Toto made the record understanding that it likely would not make pop radio. With the return of Steve Porcaro and David Hungate, David Paich found the sessions to be "very cyclical", which was further helped by the location of their studio: it was located just a half mile away from where they recorded their eponymous debut. One song, "Chinatown", was actually written for the first album, but never fully developed until the Toto XIV recording sessions. The name was explained by band member Steve Lukather in December 2014: the band counted albums "with unreleased or new music only", so the album Toto XX (1998) was counted because it contained previously unreleased songs, making Toto XIV the 14th album.
Reception
AllMusic's review of XIV described the album's title as a reference to their platinum-selling 1982 album Toto IV, but said that it "doesn't share much with that Yacht Rock classic. Despite the McCartney-esque shimmer of "The Little Things" (not to mention the passing allusions to "99" on "Chinatown"), tunes take a backseat to bombast on Toto XIV, with this Steve Lukather-led incarnation accentuating intricate instrumental interplay." The review also described a "furious first half, containing such plainly evident socio-political protests as "Holy War," "Running Out of Time," "Unknown Soldier," and "21st Century Blues"". It concludes that the band is "not living in the past, nor are they denying it: they're accepting all their indulgences, all the intricacies that come with their virtuosity, and making a record that reflects what these veteran rockers have seen and learned in their 40 years in the business."
Track listing
Personnel Credits taken from album's liner notes.
Toto Steve Lukather – guitars , lead vocals , background vocals , bass guitar Joseph Williams – lead vocals , background vocals , keyboards , hand drumming on leather bench , additional keyboards David Paich – piano , keyboards , organ , lead vocals , background vocals , upright bass Steve Porcaro – synthesizers , keyboards , lead vocals , samples Keith Carlock – drums , background vocals David Hungate – bass guitar
Additional musicians Tal Wilkenfeld – bass guitar Leland Sklar – bass guitar Tim Lefebvre – bass guitar Lenny Castro – percussion Martin Tillman – cello CJ Vanston – additional synthesizers , additional keyboards , synthesizers , background vocals , end vamp piano Michael McDonald – background vocals Amy Keys – background vocals Mabvuto Carpenter – background vocals Jamie Savko – background vocals Emma Williams – background vocals Tom Scott – saxophones , horn arrangement
Technical personnel: Produced by: CJ Vanston, David Paich, Steve Lukather, Joseph Williams (except for tracks 7 & 12, produced by Steve Porcaro and CJ Vanston) Engineered by: CJ Vanston, Csaba Petrocz, Joseph Williams, Stefan Nordin Assistant engineers: Steve Genewick, Chandler Harod: Mixed by: CJ Vanston at The Treehouse, North Hollywood, CA Mastered by: Peter Doell at Universal Mastering, Los Angeles, CA
Other:
Photography: Heather Porcaro Art Direction: Thunderwing Cover Art: Fred Kim Production Management: JoAnn Tominaga Business Management: Ron Remis and Trish Field Legal Affairs: Gary Gilbert at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP Public Relations: Steve Karas and Keith Hagen
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2015) Peakposition Japanese Albums (Oricon) 2 UK Albums (OCC) 43 US Billboard 200 98
Year-end charts Chart (2015) Position Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) 88
References
External links CJ Vanston strikes again: There's a thirst for real music Interview - By Arend, Jun 3, 2015 7:11 AM