Get band, play with band, fly
Steve Lukather grabs his guitar and brings some pals to make a record. 'I Found the Sun Again' is essentially just a gaggle of musicians getting together for a jam of selected songs and pressing record. There is precision and examples of exemplary musicianship, but it's also raw. It resembles a live recording for its rough nature, no rehearsal, all cut live; this album is as uncooked as they come, aside from a demo. Here the musicians rely on their talent and their ability to read each other and work synergistically while producer Ken Freeman does a sterling job of putting a studio gloss over the tracks.
The album features five new originals, and three covers personally selected by Luke. 'Along for the Ride' breaks out into a 'Who Are You?' riff midway, where all that's missing is Daltry's screech, which would have made for a surprise guest appearance. Traffic's 'Low Spark of High Heeled Boys' is an adequate cover where Luke and friends feel their way through solos. Instrumental track 'Journey Through has a lush late-night vibe and is a groove that suits the band.
Your enjoyment of the album will depend on whether you enjoy listening to music warts and all, or you expect an album to be an intense listening experience. It's certainly fun for the musicians to just turn up and play. It's in these moments of spontaneity when a certain breed of muso is undeniably at their best, sans overdubs, endless retakes and the sterility of a studio. They just want to play the fuck out of a track and go home, which is exactly what Luke and his band of merry men have done.
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