December 2nd, 2021 - Getting Tropical With Tambu

 

Good evening and happy Thursday!  The Meista here tonight with a pairing of Toto's very underrated album, "Tambu" and a tasty Tropical Tart 'N' Juicy IPA from Epic Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Toto
• Title: "Tambu"
• Recorded: 1995
• Release date: June 4th, 1996 (9th studio album by Toto)
• Record company: Columbia Records / Legacy Records
• Production: Elliot Scheiner and Toto
• Album cover art: Daniel Brereton
• Personnel: Steve Lukather (guitars, mandolin, bass fills, acoustic piano, synthesizers, lead and backing vocals, and chants), David Paich (synthesizers, acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, string arrangements, and lead and backing vocals), Simon Phillips (drums, drum loops, Roland TR-808, and additional keyboards), and Mike Porcaro (bass guitar, additional keyboards, and chants)
• Additional musicians: Lenny Castro (percussion), Paulinho da Costa (percussion), Jenny Douglas-McRae (vocals), Michael Fisher (percussion), Jim Giddens (chants), Phillip Ingram (backing vocals), John James (vocals), Stan Lynch (chants), Ricky Nelson (backing vocals), Steve Porcaro (drum loops), and Elliot Scheiner (chants)
• Musical style: Pop rock, hard rock, soft rock with elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and the blues
• Sound: An insanely underrated album, the sound on "Tambu" is wonderfully bluesy, richly textured, and simply put... brilliant!  Lukather's guitar work alone is worth every penny!
• Major themes: Faith, hope, life, death, loss, pain, relationships, love, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "Gift Of Faith"
2. "I Will Remember"
3. "Slipped Away"
4. "If You Belong To Me"
5. "Baby He's Your Man"
6. "The Other End Of Time"
7. "The Turning Point"
8. "Time Is The Enemy"
9. "Drag Him To The Roof"
10. "Just Can't Get To You"
11. "Dave's Gone Skiing"
12. "The Road Goes On"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Epic Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://www.epicbrewing.com/
• Brew: Tropical Tart 'N' Juicy IPA
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 4.8% 
• Pour: The Tropical Tart 'N' Juicy IPA pours a very hazy, bright yellow hue with a bright white, thin head that dissipates quickly.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by fruity, hoppy, tart, slight sweet, and slightly funky and woody elements.  There are aromas of pink grapefruit, tangerine, apricot, peach, mango, fresh berries, lemon, light oak, and very soft caramel.
• Taste: The taste of the Tropical Tart 'N' Juicy IPA follows the nose with lots of citrusy, fruity, tart, slightly funky, and lightly malty flavors.  There are notes of lemon, tangerine, orange, lemon juice, mango, dried apricot, sweet biscuit, and light caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with good carbonation, the mouthfeel of the is rather crisp, juicy, tart, and a little funky with a dry, clean finish.

Overall pairing: Epic's Tropical Tart 'N' Juicy IPA is a punchy and flavorful ale... a good companion to the sweet grooves and overall musical prowess of Toto!  Those citrusy hoppy notes go great with the intricate guitar work and bass work, while the sweetness, light bitterness, and slightly tart bite go great with the more aggressive passages! 

Cheers!!