Steve Lukather isn’t your typical guitar hero. For one, he plays in Toto — celebrating their 35th anniversary with their 2013 Summer tour — a band known for well-crafted songs, superb musicianship and a pop sensibility — not exactly a showcase for guitar pyrotechnics. Nevertheless, Lukather’s adept skills have gained legions of admirers, a place on a recent GH3 trek with Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, and a coveted spot in Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band. For Transition, his seventh solo album, Lukather clearly asserts himself as a complete musician, songwriter and singer — without a shred of excess to mop up the competition.
If Transition signifies any sort of personal transition for Steve Lukather, it’s that he is totally comfortable with where and he is as a musician today. He’s not catering to any special interests nor is he bowing down to the trends of the day; he’s simply going with what he feels. Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen, bassists Lee Sklar, Nathan East, John Pierce, and Tal Wilkenfeld, drummers Gregg Bissonette and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer C.J. Vanston, all assist in bringing that feel to fruition. “Judgment Day” is a great place to start with its arching theme and whip-around melody. “Creep Motel” is a saucy, no-excuses follow-up that lets Lukather solo away over a smooth rhythm during the wind-down. The CD takes a decisively mellow turn with “Once Again” and “The Right Wrong,” which showcase Lukather’s voice and ability to write a tender melody far more than his guitar prowess.
The title track is where you get to see the master in action, maneuvering a range of flavors and settings. As an instrumental, it’s a tour de force on every level. The short set of lyrics that bring the song to an end, however, hardly spell out the sort of “transition” you’d expect. “Last Man Standing” and “Do I Stand Alone” are mid-tempo numbers largely dominated by sweet melodies and smooth undercurrents, with Lukather’s guitar jumping in and out, riffing here, pulling back for the keys and strings there. The leads, of course, are inserted at just the right points, superb in their execution. “Rest Of The World” is a straight-forward blues that does little to bring out Lukather’s chops. Maybe that’s because he saved the best for the last number, Charlie Chaplin’s immortal “Smile.” This is where Lukather’s guitar work takes front and center, placing him in the ranks of virtuosos like Jeff Beck, Eric Johnson and Joe Satriani. While it does veer off pace in a couple of spots, Transition does a brilliant job at bringing out the best of Steve Lukather in every possible way.
~ Shawn Perry
