Just two years after releasing his eighth album, I Found the Sun Again, Toto guitarist and songwriter Steve Lukather has revealed his ninth album, Bridges, out June 16, along with lead single “When I See You Again.”
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Co-written by Lukather, along with Toto bandmates singer Joseph Williams and keyboardist David Paich, and former Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch, the uplifting “When I See You Again” is a celebration of living life every day with no regrets— Light one up / Here and now / We’re still here / Someway, somehow / The saddest words, every heard / What might have been.
“I see it as a bridge between my solo music and Toto music,” said Lukather in a statement. “The fact that Joseph Williams, David Paich, and I wrote most of the record, and the fact I invited many of the old Toto gang to come and play, co-writers like Randy Goodrum and Stan Lynch brings all this together. It also proves that most of my old pals and I are still great friends, and 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.”
Lukather continued, “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. It’s complicated, and at the age I am now, I do not wish to do anything complicated.”
Also featured on Bridges are bassist and session musician Lee Sklar (Linda Rondstadt, Carole King, James Taylor), Gov’t Mule bassist Jorgen Carlsson, and Lukather’s son Trev who co-wrote the song “Far From Over” and also contributes background vocals, guitars, synth, and bass on the track.
“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?” said Lukather. “He sure did. It is a joy beyond belief cause he really is fucking 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.”
Throughout the album, Bridges is also a reunion of past and present Toto members, who have co-written and performed on select tracks.
Williams, who first started with the band in the mid-to-late 1980s and featured on the Toto’s 1986 album, Fahrenheit and The Seventh One in 1988—then returned for the Toto’s 2015 album, Toto XIV and their final Old Is New in 2018—co-wrote six songs on Bridges, and performs on all the tracks, contributing background vocals, synths, percussion or keys. Paich also co-wrote four songs and plays keyboards on five tracks.
Former Toto drummer Simon Phillips performed on “Far From Over,” “Not My Kind Of People,” “When I See You Again,” and “Burning Bridges.” Other former Toto members who returned, include drummer Shannon Forrest, who performs on “Someone,” “All Forevers Must End,” “Take My Love” and “I’ll Never Know,” while keyboardist Steve Maggiora also co-wrote “Take My Love” and performs all keys alongside singing background vocals on that track.
“Some people think cause someone has left the band or moved on to their own thing that we stopped being friends or stopped wanting to work together,” says Lukather. “I think this proves that is not the case, and I wanted to make music with my old friends, alongside having a laugh or two. It was a lot of fun and it also has a sound that is familiar.”
Though they may not record another album together, Toto continues to perform together and are currently on the road with Journey, celebrating the latter band’s 50th anniversary tour.
Bridges Track Listing
1. “Far From Over”
2. “Not My Kind of People”
3. “Someone”
4. “All Forevers Must End”
5. “When I See You Again”
6. “Take My Love”
7. “Burning Bridges”
8. “I’ll Never Know”
Check out 5 Songs You Didn’t Know Steve Lukather Wrote for Other Artists HERE.
Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images
