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Walter Becker: Circus Money

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Walter Becker: Circus Money
Coming a mere 14 years after his last and first solo recording, Walter Becker's Circus Money sounds a lot like Steely Dan—jazzy, pop infused rock over witty, somewhat sarcastic and sardonic lyrics. By mixing in a bit of reggae, Becker has released an album that fits in well with the Steely Dan canon, yet stands up well on its own.

Featuring the expected strong production values and superb performances, Becker and company have produced a disc that is equal to any of Donald Fagen's solo offerings and just a notch below the classic Steely Dan releases.

As with any Steely Dan CD or, for that matter, any project headed by Fagen or Becker, the protagonists and characters that populate the songs are a bit desperate. The songs on Circus Money are about the human condition, but more precisely desperation. There are songs about gambling ("Door Number Two"), loss and ultimately regret ("Paging Audrey") and sex ("Door Number Two"), as well as manipulation, lust and all things carnal ("Selfish Gene").

While Fagen's solo recordings—The Nightfly (Reprise, 1982), Kamakiriad (Reprise, 1993), and Morph The Cat (Reprise, 2006)—have been basically concept albums, and the same can be said for many Steely Dan releases, Becker's album is simply an album of songs with similar themes that have come together at a point in time.

Sonically pleasing, the soulful, groove-driven CD is played to perfection by Becker and his cohorts—drummer Keith Carlock, guitarist Jon Herington and keyboardists Ted Baker and Jim Beard. The feel is reminiscent of Steely Dan, but is smaller and slightly more intimate.

Though hardcore Steely Dan fans might at first be a bit surprised at the Jamaican influences—Becker was reportedly listening to a lot of classic Jamaican music prior to writing and recording the album—Circus Money is a disc that reveals more with every listen. The title track is excellent, while "Somebody's Saturday Night" and the aforementioned "Door Number Two" sound like classic Steely Dan. A welcome return.

Track Listing

Door Number Two; Downtown Canon; Bob Is Not Your Uncle Anymore; Upside Looking Down; Paging Audrey; Circus Money; Selfish Gene; Do You Remember the Name; Somebody's Saturday Night; Darkling Down; God's Eye View; Three Picture Deal.

Personnel

Walter Becker: bass, guitar, vocals; Ted Baker: piano, keyboards, electric piano; Keith Carlock: drums, percussion; Larry Goldings: organ, Hammond organ; Gordon Gottlieb: percussion; Henry Hey: keyboards; Dean Parks: guitar, soloist; Roger Rosenberg: bass clarinet, baritone sax; Larry Klein: bass, producer; Luciana Souza: background vocals, pandeiro, soloist; Tawatha Agee: background vocals; Sweet Pea Atkinson: background vocals; Sir Harry Bowens: background vocals; Sharon Bryant: background vocals; Carmen Carter: background vocals; Terry Dexter: background vocals; Kate Markowitz: background vocals; Cindy Mizelle: background vocals; Windy Wagner: background vocals.

Album information

Title: Circus Money | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Mailboat Records

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