BOTTOM OF YOUR SOUL IS TOP TOTO PROGRESSIVE ROCK

This is my favourite TOTO song recorded in the 21st century, BOTTOM OF YOUR SOUL off the 2006 album FALLING IN BETWEEN. Forget JOURNEY, these guys, despite a non stop revolving door of personnel changes following the release of the definitive TOTO 4 in 1982, remain the greatest AOR band of all time.


FALLING IN BETWEEN was a very experimental outing for TOTO, in many respects it replicated the experimentation of the bands second and third albums HYDRA and TURN BACK, but in place of a hard rock direction which characterised those two albums, FALLING IN BETWEEN has a much greater keyboard input, courtesy of an amazing contribution from the new member in the band, GREG PHILLINGANES, alongside the veteran DAVID PAICH, with Phillinganes also contributing lead and backing vocals along with Paich, guitarist STEVE LUKATHER and sometimes member of the band BOBBY KIMBALL, who if you weren't aware is the voice behind AFRICA, the greatest TOTO song of all time.


This twin keyboard attack, along with drummer SIMON PHILIP's exotic and africana influenced percussion and Lukather's guitar genius, gives FALLING IN BETWEEN not only a denseness often lacking in post 1990 Toto recordings but a progressive rock edge not heard on a TOTO album since TURN BACK in 1981.


The addition of brass instruments on the tracks DYING ON MY FEET and THE REEFERMAN by session musicians only adds to the album's progressive, experimental theme. Great AOR album that as a whole wont appeal to everyone, but BOTTOM OF YOUR SOUL is a brilliant atmospheric progressive rock song, which as i just discovered (laugh), was sung by Joseph Williams, who fronted the band between 1986 and 1989, and is currently listed as the band's lead singer circa 2012.

Good idea to always make room for a postscript with TOTO, you need six eyes to keep up with all the line-up changes.