Admittedly, I learned about Steve Porcaro’s solo career rather late in the game. I rediscovered the music of TOTO during the pandemic. I had lost track of the band when their sound developed a harder edge. It was the unique synthesizer sounds that drew me to the band on their self-titled, first album in 1978. One of the masterminds behind those unique sounds was keyboardist, Steve Porcaro.
During the pandemic I happened upon their 40th anniversary concert video on Amazon. Founding members David Paich, Steve Lukather, and Porcaro, were all present at this 2018 show (bassist David Hungate left in 1982, drummer Jeff Porcaro passed away in 1992). It was great to hear some of those songs from the past, but what caught my attention was a T-shirt worn by someone in the audience. The shirt bore the title of the album, ‘Someday, Somehow,’ by Steve Porcaro.
I had seen his name on a multitude of recordings over the decades. He’s performed on records by everyone from Don Henley, and The Brothers Johnson, to Aretha Franklin, and Diana Ross. Most notably, Porcaro (with additional lyrics by John Bettis) penned Human Nature for Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ in 1983. However, Someday, Somehow,’ was his first true blue solo album, and it was amazing. I had been quite moved by several of the songs from that album. In my opinion, the lyric, “How much love can I give to you, so you won’t be blue tomorrow?” from the song, ‘Painting By Numbers,’ (sung beautifully by Mabvuto Carpenter) must be one of the most touching sentiment one individual can say to another. The other song that touched my soul was the final song on the album, ‘More Than I Can Take.’ Sung by Porcaro, played solely on piano, it represents the heartache of love and loss. It was a brave choice to lay bare his sole to the world, and it moved me greatly. Yes, I was late to the party, but once I arrived… what a trip.
That journey brings us to today – ‘The Very Day.’ For those of you who did experience the original 2016 release of Porcaro’s first solo album, it would be 11 years before his next release. I suppose I’m lucky, because for me, I’ve only had to wait 5 years… and it was well worth it.
I’ll only highlight a few tracks, because I believe I should leave you, the listener, to gather your own opinions. I also don’t want to deprive you of the listening experience, because this album must be treated as an adventure.
Right from the start we’re treated to ‘Marilyn,’ and its masterful layering of Porcaro’s vocal harmonies, with the tastiness of a live horn section that feeds into the arrangement, which calls to mind the production sophistication previously seen from Brian Wilson while creating The Beach Boys’ masterpiece, ‘Pet Sounds.’ The use of live horns is a departure for Porcaro, who has been described as a pioneer for creating realistic synth horn sounds. ‘Miss Jane Sinclair,’ the second cut on the album, made wonderful use of the horn section. I think most listeners will make parallels between this song and some of the Chicago recordings from the 1970’s. Bright, punchy, brass lines, along with a solid groove from drummer Shannon Forest, make this one of the gems on the album.
The overall track organization is very well laid out, as each track flows almost seamlessly into the next. Interestingly, there are two short tracks that had lived their previous lives as music cues for two of Porcaro’s scoring projects. However, here they provide a wonderful atmospheric transition that adds to the overall timbre of the album. ‘The El,’ dark and haunting, leads us into ‘Does It Really Matter?’, like the Overground running through Clapham Junction. Strong keyboard work that we’ve come to know Porcaro for on this song. I hear flavors of Keith Emerson, Ray Manzarek, Rod Argent, and, well, himself – from his earliest work in TOTO, within this song. It feels like his entire keyboard education is in this composition.
Personally, I feel ‘Listen To My Heart’ is the hit of the album. Why isn’t this song on the charts right now? Co-written by Porcaro and Gardner Cole, this is a perfect example of song construction. Both songwriters contribute to the lead vocals with Cole taking the lead on the verses, and Porcaro on the chorus, with perfect blending. Add into the mix Porcaro’s keyboard mastery, the guitar talents of Michael Landau, percussion from the legendary Lenny Castro, and Shannon Forrest embodying the late Jeff Porcaro on drums, and this song is a triumph.
There is another brilliant keyboard masterpiece on the album called, ‘Water From The Sky.’ This must be experienced, not simply written about. I hope, dear readers, you have a great speaker set up, or a fabulous pair of headphones for this one, because you will be enveloped in this amazing musical vortex. Mr. Porcaro, if you can do a spatial mix, please create one for this song!
Not only does ‘The Very Day’ reflect Porcaro’s love of music, his craft, and the technology he’s spent a lifetime embracing, but it is a masterclass in song creation, arranging, and engineering. True, that this album was years in the making. However, as they say, all great things are worth the wait. Truth.
‘The Very Day’ by Steve Porcaro was released by Green Hill Music on October 3, 2025
You can stream or download The Very Day here: https://greenhill.lnk.to/theveryday
You can order ‘Someday, Somehow’ from https://www.steveporcaromusic.com/
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KATHRYN S. KRAUS