Toto is the kind of dull debut you'd expect from a bunch of career session players -- which is really disappointing, because the musicians involved are unusually fine. David Paich, Jeff Porcaro and David Hungate have been sensational in backing Boz Scaggs, Dirk Hamilton, et al., on record, but Toto lacks at least two elements crucial to good rock: a singer and a writer. Three group members sing passably; a fourth, Bobby Kimball, is terrible -- and, unfortunately, the lead vocalist. Paich is chief songwriter, but most of his tunes are merely excuses for back-to-back instrumental solos. Toto is a band of skilled craftsmen without a mesmerizing mastermind: pros, but no poetry.

- Don Shewey, Rolling Stone, 1/25/79.

Original album advertising art. Click image for larger view.

Bonus Reviews!

Further reading on Super Seventies RockSite!: Toto Lyrics Toto Videos

- Billboard, 1979.

Toto's self-titled debut established their slick, professional pop/rock sound with hits like the driving "Hold the Line" and the R&B-inflected "Georgy Porgy." * * * *

- David Jehnzen, The All-Music Guide to Rock, 1995.

Few Toto records offer more than a couple of good cuts among an album's worth of seamless playing, which is why the debut record, Toto, stands out. Offering a range of material, from the AOR hit "Hold the Line" to the urban radio single "Georgy Porgy" (with R&B diva Cheryl Lynn helping out on vocals), this record is the band's most consistent. * * * *

- Eric Deggans, Musichound Rock: The Essential Album Guide, 1996.

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