If
Steve Porcaro producing the hip sideman to
Marianne Faithul during her
A Child's Adventure phase, and
Lou Reed during his
Legendary Hearts/
New Sensations period, sounds like a paradox, it is a joyful one. Feeling more like a
Joan Armatrading disc than one of the aforementioned legends (who both have classy essays on the album jacket singing the journeyman bassist's praises),
Fernando Saunders has a highly listenable disc which contains flavors of
Prince without a testosterone overdose. Very subdued pop. Great album cover has
Saunders in a dream state flowing into some otherworld. This is very radio-friendly stuff, from "Stallion" running wild and free (a bit reminiscent of the sentiment of "Little Red Corvette") to the catchy pop of "Hook in My Heart," the entire production (most by
Saunders himself, except for the contributions by
Porcaro) is a delight from start to finish. The two songs produced by
Toto keyboard player
Steve Porcaro actually have
Jeff Porcaro on drums and
Steve Lukather on guitar. On paper,
Toto backing a musician from
Lou Reed's band is a punk rock fan's worst nightmare, but it works.This is amazing stuff, and unlike other artists who have famous friends chipping in, everyone takes a back seat to the guy who has provided a rhythmic undertone to so many.
Fernando Saunders has a great voice, his own style, and one of those records radio should be chastised for not seeking out and playing on its merits. Hearing a song co-written by
Lou Reed that
Michael Jackson could have a huge hit with is, in itself, monumental. Perhaps this is where
Paula Abdul got the idea for her hit of the same name, "Opposites Attract," which appeared just a year later.
–
Joe Viglione, Rovi