Champlin Williams Friestedt - CWF

[Stefan]

 

 

TOTO singer Joseph Williams teams up with former Chicago singer Bill Champlin and Swedish guitarist/Producer Peter Friestedt for a new remarkable AOR release following the success with the ”Live In Concert” DVD that made it all the way to the top on the Swedish Chart!

In 2012 Champlin/Willams/Friestedt did a sold out Scandinavian Tour and during this time the first recordings of the "CWF" album took place! The new album also includes contributions from Steve Porcaro of Toto, Randy Goodrum (Toto, Chicago), Will Champlin and Tamara Champlin.

Champlin says "I’ve been involved with a project that includes me, Peter Friestedt a great guitarist and producer from Sweden, and Joseph Williams, the singer of TOTO!

I was pretty knocked out by the stuff. I’d almost forgotten how good it was when we did it. There are great songs and even better performances on this album, and I know you’ll love it It’s rare for me to be involved with a project and be surprised by how good it is. This one will knock you out"

Joseph Williams is the lead vocalist with Grammy winning US band TOTO.
He has been busy as a composer of film and drama scores, as a session vocalist, backing singer and can be heard in Disney’s animated feature film “The Lion King”as singing voice of the adult Simba (“Hakuna Matata” and “Can You Feel The Love Tonight”). 

Guitarist, producer & recording artist Peter Friestedt has released two critically acclaimed albums “LA Project” (2002) and “LA Project II” (2008) that got top reviews. Peter has been a busy sessionplayer playin on records with David Foster and Fergie Frederiksen and touring Europe and Japan with Joseph Williams with who he also released the "Williams/Friestedt" album that was a top 40 hit in Scandinavia!

 Bill Champlin was the lead singer of the legendary band Chicago for more than 25 years, and is a founding member of the band Sons of Champlin. Champlin has written Grammy award winning songs for Earth Wind & Fire and George Benson, and worked with countless artists including Elton John, The Doobie Brothers and Steve Lukather of TOTO.

 

 

[Jez]

The last Williams/ Friestedt album was a really cool West Coast disc, so with the addition of Bill Champlin to the line up this should be a bit of a no brainer for West Coast fans.

[Stefan]

A wet dream for West Coast fans...

 

Soundbytes:

 

'Hearts At War'

 

'Nightfly'

[Geoff]

 

 

TOTO singer Joseph Williams teams up with former Chicago singer Bill Champlin and Swedish guitarist/Producer Peter Friestedt for a new remarkable AOR release following the success with the ”Live In Concert” DVD that made it all the way to the top on the Swedish Chart!

 

In 2012 Champlin/Willams/Friestedt did a sold out Scandinavian Tour and during this time the first recordings of the "CWF" album took place! The new album also includes contributions from Steve Porcaro of Toto, Randy Goodrum (Toto, Chicago), Will Champlin and Tamara Champlin.

 

Champlin says "I’ve been involved with a project that includes me, Peter Friestedt a great guitarist and producer from Sweden, and Joseph Williams, the singer of TOTO!

 

I was pretty knocked out by the stuff. I’d almost forgotten how good it was when we did it. There are great songs and even better performances on this album, and I know you’ll love it It’s rare for me to be involved with a project and be surprised by how good it is. This one will knock you out"

 

Joseph Williams is the lead vocalist with Grammy winning US band TOTO.

He has been busy as a composer of film and drama scores, as a session vocalist, backing singer and can be heard in Disney’s animated feature film “The Lion King”as singing voice of the adult Simba (“Hakuna Matata” and “Can You Feel The Love Tonight”). 

 

Guitarist, producer & recording artist Peter Friestedt has released two critically acclaimed albums “LA Project” (2002) and “LA Project II” (2008) that got top reviews. Peter has been a busy sessionplayer playin on records with David Foster and Fergie Frederiksen and touring Europe and Japan with Joseph Williams with who he also released the "Williams/Friestedt" album that was a top 40 hit in Scandinavia!

 

 Bill Champlin was the lead singer of the legendary band Chicago for more than 25 years, and is a founding member of the band Sons of Champlin. Champlin has written Grammy award winning songs for Earth Wind & Fire and George Benson, and worked with countless artists including Elton John, The Doobie Brothers and Steve Lukather of TOTO.

 

 

 

That's not too bad. Quite like it.

[Stefan]

[KarpetRydOFunk]

I missed this one. Will have to listen when I'm home.

[Geoff]

 

Well that's not so bad either. Pretty safe AOR, but really quite nice.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

Bumpity bump this.

 

When's the release date for this?

[gener8tr]

Last Friday, if memory serves.

 

ARIA sounds like it should be on Toto XIV, and that's a REALLY good thing. Kind of like "PAMELA" at her 30th. high school reunion rather than her prom night. Again, another REALLY good thing!

[gener8tr]

My bad... pushed back until November 6th. it seems.

[gener8tr]

It's actually already out in Europe, just out of stock at NEH and Amazon for us State-side. NEH will have more copies on November 6.

 

January release date for Japan with two bonus tracks.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

Thanks. Perhaps I'll wait and see what the bonus tracks are.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

I'm not sure if I can wait 'til January. I've been playing "Aria" non-stop.

[Nightrain]

oh this 'Aria' you mean haha well you're gonna love the whole thing mate, I love this album as well as their first (without Champlin) !

Check CWF version of 'After the love has gone' , I bet you like it coz you dig EWF right ?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKs-bL33jxI

[KarpetRydOFunk]

oh this 'Aria' you mean haha well you're gonna love the whole thing mate, I love this album as well as their first (without Champlin) !

Check CWF version of 'After the love has gone' , I bet you like it coz you dig EWF right ?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKs-bL33jxI

 

Truu. I do love EWF. And I love Airplay's version of the song. I mean, they did write it, along with Champlin.

 

[gener8tr]

My order from NEH Records should be here Friday, and I'm really looking forward to spinning this one all weekend. For me this is basically a bit more "poppy" extension of the latest Toto album... which is still getting continuous play at my house (such an awesome album).

 

Seems the older I get, the more Toto and less Motley Crue I've become Of course I still love my childhood memories of Crue enough I'm planning on being in LA on New Year's Eve for the final show.

 

"Not old, just older."

[gener8tr]

First complete spin last night...

 

Not as consistent start-to-finish as Toto XIV, but that's probably not a fair comparison. It has some highlights, for certain. Of course I'm a Bill Champlin fan, too, and I know many here are not.

 

VERY nice guitar chops. Total Lukather viber. Very smooth, but packs just the right amount of punch. Like a nice Cognac.

[Stefan]

[Jez]

Nice to hear the mix of Traditional Westcoast and AOR tracks on here. 'Runaway' 'Aria', 'Carry On' and 'Two Hearts At War' could all have been lifted off any Toto album from the mid/ late 80's, as well as being the best tracks on the album. The reworked version of 'After The Love Has Gone' is cool, although this version is in fact the live version from the Live In Concert CD/DVD from a couple of years ago...still a great song though. The accappella 'Rivers Of Fear; is pretty good too and gives a different flavour to the album. All in all a very very good album and just up my street, although the second half especially maybe too trad. Westcoast and lite for some tastes.

[Dead Planet]

Just as I thought...way too soft for me...

[gener8tr]

Listened to this one quite a few times while tidying-up the house this past weekend.

 

MUCH better than I remembered from a few weeks back. Champlin's vocals sound just as good as they did on Chicago 18.

[gener8tr]

I'm digging this one more and more with each and every subsequent spin.

 

It's like the best of Toto mixed with Chicago 18 with the Lionville dudes as hired studio guns.

 

Every track is great.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

I'm impatiently waiting for the Japanese version to see if the bonus material is worth the extra coin. I desperately wanna hear this.

[Stefan]

[gener8tr]

Damn I love this one and find myself reaching for it at least once a day.

 

Absolutely brilliant AOR. Probably a bit soft for many of you, but if you're an old-school (Old's Cool) fan of Steely Dan, Chicago, Airplay, etc. is PERFECT!