Co-founding member of Toto, Steve Porcaro released his first ever solo album, Someday / Somehow, on June 10th 2016.
Porcaro’s first album has actually been in the making since 1983. With “Back To You” first being worked on by Toto in 1983 and “More Than I Can Take” being the most recent track he finished.
“I’ve always been writing and recording over the years, hoping to find homes for these songs with other artists,” Porcaro remarked. “Lately, I’ve been reminded repeatedly how short life is, and I think it’s finally sinking in and with the encouragement of my band, family and fans, I decided it was time to remove my excuses, throw down, let go and finish these songs the way I hear them.”
The album features Porcaro on lead vocals for seven tracks and Michael McDonald on “Swing Street,” and “Night Of Our Own.” Jamie Kimmett on “She’s So Shy,” and “Face Of A Girl,” Michael Sherwood on “Make Up” and Mabvuto Carpenter on “Painting By Numbers.” Longtime collaborator Marc Bonilla along with fellow current Toto colleagues Steve Lukather, Lenny Castro and Shannon Forrest make appearances on the album as well.
The thirteen track album, features material Porcaro has been tinkering with for quite some time. “Back To You” was originally recorded with Toto back in 1983, however Porcaro never got around to finishing it himself until last year. The track features both of Steve’s departed brothers: Jeff and Mike.
The first single from the album, “Ready Or Not” is quite personal to Porcaro.
“Ready Or Not was written for my kids,” Porcaro adds. “The first verse describes the day my oldest, Heather was born, but the song’s a love letter to all my kids, and to anyone who travels with kids at home.”
An American keyboardist, songwriter and composer Porcaro written or co-authored music on each of Toto’s first six albums, with the exception of Isolation and most recently, performed on the band’s highly acclaimed 2015 album Toto XIV, also co-writing and singing lead on “The Little Things” and “Bend” which is featured on the Japan edition of that release. Porcaro continues to perform in Toto continues to play to sold-out audiences in Europe, US and Japan.
Also known for his prolific session work, Steve co-wrote “Human Nature” on Michael Jackson’s Grammy-winning album Thriller, solidifying his individual mark on the music industry. A sought-after session musician, Steve has worked extensively with music producer icons Quincy Jones and David Foster and many of music’s most successful artists including Don Henley, YES, Elton John, Boz Scaggs and many others. Highly respected for his film and television scores, Steve composed the music for the award-winning FX show Justified, starring Timothy Olyphant.
Steve Porcaro’s touring career began at the age of 17 with Gary Wright, in support of Wright’s hit album, The Dream Weaver and then with Boz Scaggs along with the other original members of Toto, prior to that band’s 1977 inception. Steve’s older brothers, Mike Porcaro (bassist) and Jeff Porcaro (drummer), also members of Toto were highly respected session musicians and their father Joe Porcaro is regarded was one of the world’s most influential session percussionists and educators. In 2010, Steve toured with Toto when the decision was made to reform the band in support of his brother Mike, during Mike’s lengthy battle with ALS.
Along with his work on “Human Nature”, Steve Porcaro performed other Thriller tracks including “Beat It” and “The Girl Is Mine” and composed the song “For All Time”, which was included on the Thriller “25th Anniversary” Edition. A testament to his compositional influence, “Human Nature” has been covered and/or sampled by many artists including Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, SWV, Nas, and Chris Brown.
