Friday, March 17, 2006

Cd Review : Donald Fagen- Morph The Cat


For those that are not interested in wordy reviews of music......here is the Readers Digest version. If you love Steely Dan music, BUY THIS CD! If you don't love Steely Dan music....you need to sit down with good ol' Mike and we should talk!

Thanks for continuing on to the 2nd paragraph. Its only March...but this CD is at the top of my top 10 list for 2006. Impeccably produced, smartly written, and a sweet mixture of funk/jazz and smooth rock. Sure, this music is very polished sounding and not "edgy". But like Mr. Fagens group Steely Dan, the mix is addicting.

This is Donald Fagens 3rd solo effort. The first in 12 years. Fans of Steely Dan have always been hooked by the strange and obscure lyrics in some of the "dans" songs. This CD is a little more intimate in its nature. Not autobiographical, but a little less demanding to decipher the intent of the lyric.

Standout tracks:

What I do- A song based on a conversation with Ray Charles. The groove is funky, slow and addicting. This song will stick in your head and in a good way!

The Night Belongs to Mona: Interesting song about post 9/11 fear. Mona comes alive in her apartment when the city goes to sleep. She drops her defenses when there is no threat of human interaction. Once again... the mix of music and lyric is one that sticks in your head.

The entire CD is filled with strong moments. Do yourself a favor and give this a listen. Then put it on again and enjoy it one more time! Repeat as needed! :-)

2 comments:

Bar L. said...

Excellent review, Mike. I think I'll buy it straight from iTunes and download to my iPod. You have great taste.

Doug Bagley said...

Hey, I like a lot of "Dan's" stuff and my brother really got into their music. I'll have to let him know about this C.D.
Thanks,
Doug