🎶 Why Toto IV Is My All-Time Favorite Album 🎶

This one’s easy. I love a lot of albums—Christopher Cross’ debut, Minute By Minute by the Doobie Brothers, Eagles Greatest Hits, Steely Dan’s Aja, and Donald Fagen’s The Nightfly, just to name a few. Most of them live in the world of Yacht Rock.

But my all-time favorite? That’s Toto IV.

This is the album that reawakened me to Toto’s greatness and cemented them as my favorite band—something that’s been true ever since. Toto IV is the best of what the group has to offer, with virtually every track sounding like it had hit potential.

Rosanna – Musical perfection. Entire classes have dissected why this song works so well, from the keyboards to the drums, guitars, and harmonies. It’s probably my all-time favorite song.

Make Believe – A bright, catchy follow-up track. Bobby Kimball’s vocals are at their absolute best here.

I Won’t Hold You Back – Every Toto album had a killer ballad, but this time it wasn’t named after a girl. Steve Lukather delivers with passion, while the strings and horns lift the song sky-high.

Good for You – It never charted, but it’s a strong deep-cut track. Steve Porcaro’s keyboards add punch, though I still think real horns would have pushed it over the top.

It’s a Feeling – Quirky, cool, and jazzy. It shows off Toto’s eclectic, genre-blending spirit.

Afraid of Love – The B-side kicks off with Toto’s hardest rocking number. A deep cut that ranks among their best.

Lovers in the Night – Flowing seamlessly out of Afraid of Love, this is Toto at their prog-rock finest. Each instrument gets a spotlight moment.

We Made It – Another track that blends right into the previous one. It keeps the harder edge going, with stellar musicianship and soaring harmonies.

Waiting for Your Love – Bobby Kimball shines as lyricist here, turning body parts and emotions into poetry. Musically, it’s jazzy perfection that should’ve been a Top 40 hit.

Africa – Steve Lukather once joked he’d run naked through L.A. if this song hit No. 1. It did, and he didn’t. The song’s lush, full sound—anchored by the marimba intro I especially love, since I played marimba in my high school marching band—makes it an unforgettable closer. Not quite as perfect as Rosanna, but the ideal bookend to the album.

In the end, Toto IV is more than just my favorite Toto record—it’s my favorite album, period. It’s the rare project where nearly every track feels timeless, and decades later it still sounds as fresh and powerful as the day it was released.

About Douglas Blaine

Capnpen is a writer who was a newspaper and magazine journalist in a previous life. A college journalism major, he now works as an English teacher, but gets his writing fix by blogging about a variety of topics, including politics, religion, movies and television. When he's not working or blogging, Capnpen spends time with his family, plays a little golf (badly) and loves to learn about virtually anything.

View all posts by Douglas Blaine →