Steve Lukather - Ever Changing Times

Steve Lukather is one of the most recorded guitarists in history, with session credits spanning over 30 years and some of the biggest selling artists of all time. In addition Steve has been front man on guitar and vocals for multi million selling, Grammy award winning melodic rock supergroup, Toto.

Toto have enjoyed something of a renaissance in the last couple of years with the 'Falling In Between' album and tours gaining both critical plaudits and commercial success, and in between touring Steve has found time to record his fourth vocal solo release 'Ever Changing Times'. This has a stellar line up including LA legends Leland Sklar on bass, Abe Laboriel on drums and Steve Weingart, Jeff Babko and Randy Goodrum on keyboards. Steve is one of those few guitarists who's almost universally admired by his peers, and all of us at Alloutguitar.com have been eagerly anticipating this album since we first discussed it with Steve back in February 2007.

Overview!

The title track opens proceedings with ominous synths, tribal percussive rhythms and Leland Sklar's superlative fretless bass heralding a crunchy almost metal riff - and what a great guitar sound! Immediately apparent is a fantastically clear and expansive production - although, lets face it, with guys of this caliber you'd expect nothing less! Veering into some pretty progressive musical avenues this is similar in intent to 'Falling In Between's title track. With some great vocals, clever chords and a simply MASSIVE harmony laden chorus this is a melodic, epic - yet immediate - stunner of a track. The guitar solo at 3.30 is a Lukather tour de force, and with many of his classic traits evident is a master class in epic soloing. A nigh on perfect opening track that states unequivocally that the man is still on top of his game!

'The Letting Go' is a mid paced track with some of those super smooth - only possibly made in America! - vocal melodies that has characterised much of Totos' balladry over the years. The solo is simply stunning - a super charged strat tone with double stops galore, amazing phrasing, groovy and with and some sublime note choices - another 30 seconds master class. Luke is really on fire here, and his playing sounds energised, vital and hungry.

'New World' opens with a driving riff before settling into a mid pocket groove. With some tasty jazzy chords in the transitions that are reminiscent of some of Toto's more prog songs from albums like 'Hydra', and an upbeat classic 'Hold The Line' era chorus with massed backing vocals this another great track - and check out another kick ass solo over the outro - some very technically adept playing here - but always with that unique Luke touch.

'Tell Me What You Want From Me' starts like another sophisticated ballad, before an almost Kings X crunching riff and aggressive chorus takes the song in an altogether suprising direction - but then the song brings us back to another super melodic verse with Steve's vocals in grand form. Then an aggressive but economical solo, loads of harmony vocals, and a very progressive section during the musical interlude takes us to the final section and we are back in Riffsville and attitude laden soloing. This song, in particular, shows evidence of Steve taking a fresh musical approach, and as Steve says: "I think if you blindfolded rock critics and played them 'Tell Me What You Want From Me' they would be VERY surprised to find out who the artist is".

Next up is 'I Am' and we are back in melodious ballad territory in a track that keeps it's laid laid back feel throughout it's duration. One thing to note here is that the musicianship is at such a high level that a multitude of time signature changes and advanced changes pass by with you scarcely noticing - not like some acts who try to flaunt their ability to play sophisticated music in what often comes out as musical showing of. Not so here, it is integrated so seamlessly that the average listener won't even be aware that they are listening to very clever compositional and technical musicianship, yet all the muso's out there will be simply shaking their heads in admiration!

'Jammin' With Jesus' is an almost bluesy heavy groove based track with lashings of Hammond, some female backing vocals, wah wah guitar.

With 'Stab In The Back' is very Steely Dan-esque: as Steve says: "I also really like the way 'Stab In The Back' turned out. I am a Steely Dan fan, and I know Donald Fagen and Walter Becker and this was a tribute to them" - and the track does 'as it says on the tin'.

'Never Ending Night' is another classic very Toto-esque melodic rock mid paced ballad, with a great thematic stadium rock style solo.

'Ice Bound' is moody mid paced riff laden rocker with lots of light and shade with late 70's era Toto again slightly proggy vocal melodies in the 'chorus' with some great guitar keyboard trade offs in the solo section and some more of those almost metal riffs much in evidence in the earlier songs.

Penultimate song 'How Many Zeros' continues in much the same vein, and with more of those massed vocal harmonies and chorus lines similar to 'Jammin' With Jesus' and lots of hot guitar fills rounds up the vocal tracks.

'The Truth' concludes the album and is an instrumental melodic late night lament, with beautifully arranged piano and strings and features some of Luke's most haunting playing - really Jeff Becky here - with trem infused lead and melody lines, and rich orchestrations ending the album in fine style.

Conclusion

This is easy to sum up: a great album that fans of both Steve Lukather the guitarist, and Toto the band, will lap up. And for those younger guitar and rock music fans out there who may be unfamiliar with Steve's work to date this is well worth investing in as it is a vital, energy filled modern rock band that should suit most tastes: for fans of hot rock guitar it is a nigh on essential purchase.