| Steve
Lukather Releases New Christmas Album
In Stores Now, “SantaMental”
Features Lukather With Fellow World-Class
Guitarists Eddie Van Halen, Slash, Steve
Vai and More
This year, Christmas is going to have quite
a different ring to it as legendary guitarist
Steve Lukather rewrites the soundtrack to
the holiday season with the introduction
of “SantaMental,” a 10-track
compilation featuring such guitar virtuosos
as Eddie Van Halen, Slash and Steve Vai
as well as appearances by Edgar Winter,
Gregg Bissonette and Jeff Babko. Produced
by Elliot Scheiner (The Eagles, Steely Dan,
Sting) and Lukather, the album is in stores
now courtesy of Favored Nations.
“SantaMental”
was recorded in fewer than six days and
features such iconic favorites as Jingle
Bells, Winter Wonderland and Silent Night
but according to Lukather the highlight
is definitely his and Eddie Van Halen’s
version of Joy to the World.
"When
I wrote the arrangement with Jeff Babko,
I wrote it specifically with Eddie Van Halen
in mind, coming up with a 'Hot for Teacher'
groove," he recalls. "So he came
in and heard it and goes, 'What are you
trying to do, kill me? I haven't played
in a while' and we all laughed. I chucked
everybody out of the studio, Eddie sat down,
did a few takes and it was done. His playing
is raw and on fire. He doesn't play on anybody's
records so it was a real honor for me.”
Other
notable tracks include A Broken Heart for
Christmas featuring Slash, Carol of the
Bells with Steve Vai and the CD’s
bonus cut The Christmas Song (Chestnuts
Roasting on an Open Fire) which brought
the Grammy-Award winning duo Lukather and
Larry Carlton back together for a special
arrangement of this classic holiday favorite.
According
to Lukather, the idea behind doing a Christmas
record came from Multi-Grammy Award winning
producers, Elliot Scheiner and Al Schmitt.
"They pitched me the idea of doing
this Christmas album. I would not have come
up with that myself (laughs). I took it
as a challenge to make corny Christmas songs
hip, to re-voice them in some way to make
them sound weird (laughs). My partner on
the project was keyboardist, Jeff Babko.
He had brilliant ideas in terms of arrangements."
One
of music's most innovative and inventive
guitarists, Steve Lukather is best known
as a founding member of the internationally
successful five-time Grammy Award winning
rockers, Toto. Beyond his seminal work in
Toto, Lukather is also renowned for his
storied session work shredding the six-string
for such artists as Paul McCartney, Jeff
Beck, Miles Davis, Eric Clapton, Don Henley,
Randy Newman, Cheap Trick and many more.
Lukather's
innate versatility, meticulous chops and
seamless stylistic mastery truly comes alive
on “SantaMental”. Demonstrating
a wacky artistic sensibility that befits
the artist formerly known as Kris Kringle,
the record provides a rockin' winter wonderland
of beautifully interpreted songs powered
by incendiary guitar firepower, forward-thinking
experimentalism and impeccably crafted arrangements.
A
truly unforgettable work of genius, “SantaMental”
is likely to rewrite the soundtrack to many
Christmas holidays to come.
The
tracklisiting for “SantaMental”
is as follows.
Joy
to The World Lukather with Eddie Van Halen,
Jeff Babko, Gregg Bissonette, John Pierce,
Simon Phillips
Greensleeves
Lukather with Jeff Babko, Gregg Bissonette,
John “Sticky”Pierce, Lenny Castro,
Edgar Winter
Jingle
Bells Lukather with Babko, Gregg Bissonette,
John “Sticky”Pierce, Lenny Castro,
Greg Shelby, Walt Fowler
Carol
of the Bells Lukather with Jeff Babko, Steve
Vai, Gregg Bissonette, John Pierce
Broken
Heart for Lukather with Slash, Jeff Babko,
Gregg Bissonette, “Sticky” Pierce
Christmas
Angels
We Have Lukather with Babko, Gregg Bissonette,
“Sticky”Pierce, Lenny Castro
Heard on High
Winter
Wonderland Lukather with Edgar Winter, Jeff
Babko, Gregg Bissonette, George Shelby,
Walt Fowler
Look
Out For Lukather with Mike Landau, Jeff
Babko, Gregg Bissonette, “Sticky
Angels Pierce”, Lenny Castro
Silent
Night Lukather with Jeff Babko, Gregg Bissonette,
“Sticky Pierce”, Lenny Castro
The
Christmas Song Lukather
For
more information, visit www.favorednations.com
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