So the year is 1980, and the music world is either rocking its brains out, or its new wave crazy. If you’re Steely Dan however, you are the kings of cool and releasing albums that are sonically so good they sound as though they are playing in your own room. Steely Dan release records that session musicians would release if there were no record labels to interfere. This would be the last album they would release until Two Against Nature in 2000.
The guest list of players is a who’s who of the session world, with the likes of Steve Gadd, Jeff Porcaro, The Brecker Brothers, Michael McDonald, and Larry Carlton – to name a few. I love Donald Fagen’s vocal style, and the way he uses words to tell stories is just sublime. They have been called smooth jazz, which nowhere near does the music justice. It’s way deeper than that, there is a really cool funk undertone to a lot of the tracks. Musically, it’s all about the groove and the swing so Donald can weave his vocals that intertwine beautifully. My favourite tracks are Babylon Sisters, Glamour Profession, and Time Out Of Mind as that’s where everything clicks together for me.
8/10 from The Grooveman.
