Background
When the news broke in October 2023 that Nicholas Collins and Trevor Lukather had formed a band together, it certainly generated expectations and anticipation among music fans. Especially at a time when traditional pop and rock music in band format is increasingly being displaced by rappers, DJs, and solo artists, many celebrated the potential of this "next generation supergroup" in advance. And the fact that Messrs. Lukather and Collins, as sons of guitar legend and Toto founding member Steve Lukather on the one hand, and drumming icon, Genesis frontman, and solo superstar Phil Collins on the other, have enormous musical potential is not only a logical assumption based on the "like father, like son" principle. Both had long since proven this by that point. Trevor Lukather had made a name for himself as a producer for various music acts in the LA area and as a songwriter and guitarist for his own solo projects and band projects (notably ZFG with Sam Porcaro on bass) and was allowed to contribute as a co-writer on some tracks on his dad's solo albums. Nicholas Collins was able to show as a drummer on Phil's Not Dead Yet tour and subsequently on Genesis's last tour (The Last Domino?) that he effortlessly enriches both pop hits and progressive long tracks with his drumming and, despite his young age, is a full-fledged band member and a true team player. As an "encore," he was then allowed to substitute for Gary Wallis on the Mechanics tour in 2023. Nevertheless, Nicholas and Trevor coming together in a new group was not a given, as both had rather mixed experiences with their own bands. Collins was certainly trying to get attention with Better Strangers, a band with old friends. But despite releasing some singles, they didn't really get off the ground. Better Strangers are now on hiatus after parting ways with their singer, with whom they apparently weren't happy. Lukather fared even worse, saying he never wanted to play in a band again. He had previously put all his energy into the band Levara and was then kicked out of his own band by the other two members shortly after the release of the first album due to annoying ego trips. With THE EFFECT, Collins and Lukather, who discovered numerous parallels in their musical socialization when they met, found their new creative home, and with Steve Maggiora (keyboards) and Emmett Lee Stang (lead vocals), two experienced collaborators to bring the band to life. However, Maggiora, who was also playing in Toto's live band at the same time, left again in early May 2024. The reasons for this are still unclear. By this time, the album recordings had already been completed, so Maggiora's contributions (keyboards and backing vocals) are immortalized there. Josh Paul functions as the band's bassist, but is not officially part of the lineup and does not tour with the others.
The Album
Almost exactly one year passed from the founding of THE EFFECT to the release of the debut album. During this time, a total of six songs were released in advance on streaming portals and YouTube. Meanwhile, the band played as support for Billy Idol (spring, USA) and as opener for Toto (summer, Germany), among others. In total, the debut comprises eleven tracks with a total playing time of just under 44 minutes. Of these eleven tracks, all except Track 7 (written by Steve Perry, Jonathan Cain, and Neal Schon) were composed and written by the band themselves.
Production / Sound / Arrangement
Trevor Lukather, who produced the album, was audibly intent on giving the band a contemporary, modern sound. The songs are all compact and based on powerful drums, electric guitars, and synthetic keyboard sounds. As lead singer, Stang has great volume, a good range, and also the necessary portion of grit in his voice. It rocks pretty well for the most part and often reminds of a slightly refreshed version of 80s AOR. The arrangements are consistently very dense, as usually all instruments play at the same time. A little less overloading and more "emptiness" here and there would be more pleasant for the ears.
Formats: While the album is released digitally on November 15, CD fans have been able to purchase a CD since October, but so far only through the band's own webshop. Those who accept waiting time and additional costs due to shipping and customs will then receive a CD in a foldout digipack without a booklet. The album cover is adorned with the quite striking band logo (designed by Lukather's cousin Jake Hays), while the tracklist can be found on the back. Inside, there's a photo of the three remaining band members and some credits, which are hardly readable even with a magnifying glass due to font size and typography. One wonders who approves such nonsense. All in all, a somewhat more valuable CD packaging would have been desirable for the price paid.
The Songs – Track by Track:
Toxic Envy, the opener, is quite a banger right off the bat. Hard rocking guitar riffs pair with driving drums. Collins attests that the track not only has the greatest hard rock potential but explicitly names it as his "favorite drumming part." And yes, the drums don't just play straight ahead here, but remain in permanent, yet overall song-serving unrest. The chorus then shows itself to be stadium anthem-worthy, with which the band makes it clear that, for all their technique, they never lose sight of the value of good melodies. Toxic Envy was released in March 2024 as the 3rd advance single.
Unwanted is a tick straighter and grooves casually in the verse. In the chorus, THE EFFECT then unleash a real earworm. This is very catchy and composed to the point. Not for nothing was this the band's first single, which left a distinctive mark as a new melodic rock band in October 2023. Lukather provides the track (as well as all others) with a nice guitar solo. By the way, there's also a completely different sounding ballad version of Unwanted, which shows the band from their cuddly rock side. Very well done, but unfortunately not part of this album. It could have been nicely packed as a bonus track at the end.
TIND stands (for whatever reason) for "There is no doubt". Here we hear cleaner guitars for the first time, and Collins plays with rimshots and rims, which now provides a pinch of lightness after the rocky start of the album. Again, a catchy, rather pop-rocky piece with some "oohooh" choirs that Coldplay couldn't have done better. TIND was single No. 6, and was released shortly before the album in early October 2024.
World Between Us takes a rockier course again. Once more, there are guitar riffs played in unison with the bass to a driving beat. Maggiora sets nice keyboard accents, and during the guitar solo, Collins then also unpacks the double bass drum. This song is also pleasing, but somewhat more inconspicuous than the previous ones.
Sadistic Love slows the tempo a bit. If you imagine away the keyboards, you could almost be listening to a grunge band here. The song follows a similar structure to those heard so far, and for the first time I catch myself thinking about longing for variety.
High Life then at least provides more tempo again. The song is melodically quite unexciting, but as a consistently forward-marching rocker, it has the potential to literally set the stage on fire live. Emmett varies here between a kind of spoken word (verse) and powerful shouting in sometimes highest pitches (chorus). In addition, there are plenty of gang vocals that should also please fans of bands like Def Leppard. High Life was the 5th advance single in July 2024.
It Could Have Been You (released in May 2024) then falls a bit out of the musical frame - but positively! The song wasn't actually planned for the album but was approached retrospectively. In early 2024, in search of more attention for themselves and their music, the band came up with the idea of recording this cover of an old, rather unknown Journey song and then recruiting ex-Journey singer Steve Perry as a guest singer for it. What sounds like an innovative coup is, for observers of Trevor Lukather, an old hat. Already on the Levara album, Perry contributed supportively to some songs, which was also used for promotional purposes back then. Moreover, Lukather's wife is the daughter of Jonathan Cain, keyboardist of Journey and co-author of It Could Have Been You. So it all stays in the family. Regardless, this is a really good song with strong 80s vibes, which THE EFFECT have made their own super well. There's hardly anything to hear from Perry here (which somewhat angered Journey fans), but the click numbers of this 4th single by the band were significantly higher, thus achieving the goal of greater recognition. It Could Have Been You was also the last song in which Steve Maggiora is not only heard (he shines here through a lot of keyboard work and strong backing vocals) but also appears in the video clip. Shortly after, he left. The decision to include this number on the album was a very good one. It fits in well and is one of the strongest album moments. It also shows a super strong production by Lukather.
Sight Unseen then again relies on the band's own trademarks: rocky riffs, subtle synth accents, powerful drumming, singalong-worthy chorus with a little "oohooh" and of course a guitar solo before the final chorus.
Head Of Collision has similar ingredients, and the chorus is again very catchy. In search of comparisons with other bands, the Swedish melodic rock combo ECLIPSE spontaneously came to mind here, who use a quite similar formula for their albums. Certainly not a bad reference, although ECLIPSE albums also suffer somewhat from their songs sounding very catchy but also slightly one-dimensional.
Something Wrong was introduced as the band's 2nd song at the end of 2023. I loved it back then and still enjoy the contrast between the rhythmically slightly intricate verses and a chorus where Emmett's vocal line "makes the sun rise". At this point, it's time to appreciate Trevor's lead guitar playing a bit. He neither shreds aimlessly nor shamelessly copies his father's style. Those who listen closely will find in the often fully composed solos both playing technique influences from Lukather senior and Eddie van Halen (through the extensive use of the whammy bar). And sound-wise, there are clear borrowings from Trevor Rabin through the use of octaver and harmonizer. Overall, Trevor Lukather has thus found his own style that benefits the album.
Still In It is the last piece and indeed a genuine ballad. This offers variety once again at the end. The band not only takes out tempo but also sound density here, which leads to, for example, Josh Paul's bass playing being consciously perceived for the first time. In the last seconds, you hear Nicholas playing a drum figure involving the toms, and for a brief moment, you feel reminded of Toto's I Will Remember. So THE EFFECT can also do ballads, and this is probably just a hint of what else they can do, and of which one would have liked to hear more on their debut.
Overall Impression
The first album by THE EFFECT is overall easy to listen to and is quite enjoyable if you appreciate the approach it's based on. According to the band members, this consisted of making each individual song as catchy as possible and able to stand on its own. In other words, single potential and radio compatibility for each track. From this perspective, THE EFFECT has achieved a perfect landing, and one can understand this a bit when looking at the release strategies of current artists, who today focus more than ever on individual songs and sometimes don't even rely on the album format anymore. On the other hand, we do have an album here. And as an album, the whole thing only works mediocrely, as it lacks variety in the long run. The sounds used are too similar, the song structures too interchangeable. By the fifth track with similar riff rock, synth sound, and Trevor's ever-same guitar effects at the latest, one wishes for an acoustic guitar or a piano or organ sound, just some kind of sonic contrast. It would also be nice if at least one or two tracks would break out of the maxim "four-four time in about four minutes". And if that's perhaps asking too much, one could have at least granted Maggiora, who is an excellent keyboardist, a solo, instead of just listening to him filling spaces or serving up ornate sound garnishes. This may, of course, also be due to the fact that at some point one inevitably compares what is heard with the music of Toto and Genesis and then has to realize that the sons' music doesn't come close to that of the fathers in terms of variety, sophistication, and class. But of course, that's a slightly unfair thought. Today's production budgets are different, as are the listening expectations, especially of younger listeners. More importantly, Trevor and Nicholas have the right not to copy their fathers' music. And let's be honest: If they had tried to do so, many would be just as dissatisfied, because such attempts usually have to fail. Therefore, I consider the first album by THE EFFECT all in all as a good, musically entertaining starting point of a competent band. And at the same time, I wish for the follow-up promised by Collins and Lukather some development, i.e., more daring, variety, and a few (as Papa Luke would call them) "deep cuts". And gladly also a new keyboardist and a permanent bassist!
New Album featuring Motown Classics. Release date: September 13th, 2010 (Europe), September 28th (NA)
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