Morph the Cat
My order from Amazon of this CD finally arrived today, played it twice already. It's a well-produced album without sounding over-produced -- quite refreshing for Fagen or Steely Dan for that matter. Musically it's a synthesis of the first two solo albums -- the lyrical mastery of The Nightfly and the groove of Kamakiriad . After burning out post-Nightfly and ending up with a ten-year writer's block, Fagen made the rhythm section pre-eminent in Kamakiriad. Thankfully, in Morph Fagen brings back a heavy dose of the Steely Dan melodic and chord sophistication while keeping the beat. The bass lines, specially in the opening track, are superb while the falsetto in Brite Nightgown reminds one of the funk of Prince. The other tracks could easily belong to any Dan album sans the guitar work of W Becker, though Jon Herington does a great job here. Here is an artist who has found his voice and his groove. Message-wise, it gives voice to the current New York state of mind. Unf
