David Paich's 'Forgotten Toys' - Album Review

Considering how many songs David Paich has been involved with over the years, it is astounding really that he had never released a solo album until August of this year. The Toto founder, songwriter, keyboardist, and vocalist has contributed to probably thousands of albums at this point, and has arguably been Toto's unofficial leader and driving force since the band's 1977 inception, but until recently he had never put out anything under his own name. It is never too late to do so, though, and, at age 68, he has released his first solo album - the short, yet sweet, Forgotten Toys. It is my understanding that the driving force behind the creation of the album was the COVID-19 pandemic. With his health largely keeping him away from regular Toto duties of late, and the likelihood of another Toto album seeming unlikely, it seems that Paich used the downtime to finish off some songs which he had worked on over the years. The result is the seven-track Forgotten Toys - an album that clocks in at just under half an hour, and that contains six songs proper alongside a short intro piece. I will get the album's length out of the way first, as many have raised it as a concern. Whilst I generally prefer albums which are on the shorter side, releasing a 29 minute album does seem a bit strange. Given the amount of songs that he has written over the years, and likely still has lying around, I am sure he could have found another couple to pad the album out to the somewhat traditional 40 minute mark. As it is, though, Forgotten Toys really flies by - and feels more like an EP than the proper album it has been marketed as. A couple of extra songs would have certainly been welcome, but it is the quality of what is contained within that is the most important factor for me - and generally the quality here is high. Paich's songwriting over the years has been varied, and that is certainly on show again here. Many of the songs here were likely written with Toto in mind, and sound very similar to things that have appeared on the band's last few albums, but there are a couple of diversions from that formula, too. Given the number of people that Paich has worked with over the years, the album is unsurprisingly packed with talent. Current Toto frontman Joseph Williams helped Paich to produce the album, as well as duetting with him on one song and co-writing three of the songs. Other Toto alumni to appear here include the band's founding guitarist and sole consistent presence Steve Lukather, one-time bassist Nathan East, and current touring multi-instrumentalist Warren Ham. Also appearing here are session drummer extraordinaire Gregg Bissonette, guitarist Don Felder (Eagles), and legendary singer/songwriter Michael McDonald (The Doobie Brothers) - but there are many other well-known names that grace the album's seven songs.

The brief, keyboard-led instrumental piece Forward opens the album in a symphonic fashion. At around 30 seconds in length, it very much is a blink-and-you-will-miss-it moment. In truth, it adds little to the album - but works as an extended intro to the first song proper - willibelongtoyou. willibelongtoyou, ludicrous title formatting aside (bands: please stop doing things like this), is a strong song - and very reminiscent of Paich's songwriting on 2015's Toto XIV (which I reviewed here) as well as the band's latest odds and sods collection Old is New (which I briefly discussed here) from 2020. This is the song that Williams sings alongside Paich, and it is also one of his co-writes - where he handles keyboard and synth duties alongside Paich's piano and organ. Chiming guitars from Lukather and Dean Parks drive the track, at least early on, whilst the tight rhythm section of East and Bissonette form a tight groove. The song's intro is somewhat rocking, with Lukather's distinct power chords, but the verses are more low key - and shine a light onto Paich's piano. His piano playing dominates, with an acoustic guitar backing - and his deep voice sounds as strong and distinct as ever, whilst Williams sings the harder-edged chorus in his upper register. A short, but busy, instrumental section is filled with barrelling piano melodies - which grow in stature as Williams adds his synths, before a final reprise of the smooth chorus then gives way to more Paich keyboard wizardry as he moves back and forth between his piano and organ. Spirit of the Moonrise follows, and features more Toto alumni in founding bassist David Hungate and the band's long-time percussion collaborator Lenny Castro. Parks' staccato guitar playing drives the expansive track, which is easily my favourite cut here, whilst the rumbling bass and Paich's piano add counter melodies. The song has a strong groove throughout, and it picks up the pace compared to the previous song - with a driving verse that Paich owns vocally. Williams adds harmonies throughout, and the inimitable vocal talents of McDonald fill out the chorus. McDonald also adds some brief vocal adlibs throughout, with that silky voice that has graced many yacht rock classics over the years doing its job once again, and the hooks sound even bigger thanks to his contributions. A great organ-led instrumental section allows Paich to showcase his lead playing, whilst Lukather contributes a great closing guitar solo that is at the more melodic end of his wheelhouse - which is perfect for the smooth, expansive song that it helps to round out. First Time slows the pace down, and the song is built on a percussion base - which Paich's synths sit atop. He gentle croons the lyrics in a manner that allows the deeper end of his voice to shine, whilst Williams again adds subtle harmonies when needed. It is one of those songs that sounds simple, but on closer inspection there is quite a lot going on. The percussion layers add a simple groove, despite the song's slow pace, while the guitar textures and some occasional East bass lines add plenty of depth. The first two songs here could have easily sat on a Toto album, but this song feels very different to Toto's core sound - and it shows a slightly different side of Paich's songwriting.

Queen Charade then ups the pace again, and the song is easily the most hard rocking cut here - with a raw, bluesy side that makes the most of Ham's harmonica playing and some snarling Lukather guitar. Felder adds some slide guitar to the track, which adds to the bluesy vibe, whilst the no-nonsense drumming of another session legend Steve Jordan gives the song its kinetic energy. Whilst this does not sound like the Toto of late, it reminds me of some of then rawer songs that the band released earlier in their career - like Rockmaker or All Us Boys. It is less smooth than usual for Paich, but the barroom vibes are certainly welcome here. His piano playing is busy, adding a boogie vibe, and his mid-song trade-off with Felder is great - which follows some bursts of saxophone from Ham. Whilst boogie blues is not really what most would want to hear from Paich, for me the song works well - and it is one of the album's most memorable cuts due to how it takes him out of his general comfort zone. It suits his aging voice, too, and showcases his singing in a different light. Up next is All the Tears That Shine - a song which Paich sang on Toto XIV. Here it is sang by its co-writer Mike Sherwood (Logic), who sadly died in 2019. I am not sure if this version of the song is its original demo, or whether Sherwood's vocals from the demo were set to a newly-recorded version of the song - but it differs somewhat from the Toto version. It feels darker here, despite the arrangement largely being the same. Sherwood's voice cracks more than Paich's, which gives it an emotional edge, whilst the slow-burning piano melodies and floating synths of Paich back him up. The subtle guitar playing here is courtesy of long-time Elton John sideman Davey Johnstone, who adds colour throughout, but the focus here is on Sherwood's vocal performance and the varied keyboard playing of Paich. I can understand why Paich included the song here as a tribute to Sherwood, but given how short the album is it seems strange to include a track that most Toto fans will already know. This old/new version is good, though, but it does stand out somewhat due to the general lack of new material presented here. The album then comes to a close with Lucy - a jazzy instrumental that Paich put together with fellow pianist Mike Lang. The focus throughout is on the playing of Paich and Lang, but there is some subtle guitar added by funk legend Ray Parker Jr. and some jazzy horns courtesy of Jon Diversa. This is another slight diversion of Paich, although Toto have recorded jazzy instrumentals in the past. This song feels more like a pure slab of jazz though, particularly as a result of the duelling pianos and a lengthy organ showcase. This sort of music is not really my thing, but the song works well as an album closer. The track is still pretty melodic, and the organ playing throughout is great - even if some of the piano sections are somewhat busy. Given the length of the album, though, I would have preferred to hear another melodic rocker - but at least there is still plenty of variety here. In many ways, it sums up the album - as both are somewhat curios. I like everything here, but it feels like an unfinished project. It is a shame that there is not more meat on the bones here - and I am not sure that another version of All the Tears That Shine was really needed, even if it was fitting to showcase the late Sherwood. As such, this will probably not be an album that I reach for too often, but as a representation of Paich's many songwriting styles it is a fun listen - and Toto fans will certainly enjoy a number of the cuts presented here.

The album was released on 19th August 2022 via The Players Club. Below is Paich's official lyric video for Spirit of the Moonrise.