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Hugh McCracken
Graham Parker: Another Grey Area 40th Anniversary Edition
by Doug Collette
Iconoclassic Records lives up to its label name with this Graham Parker reissue. Admittedly a niche artist, this irascible Brit has seen more than a few excerpts from his lengthy discography treated with the meticulous care that bespeaks true labors of love, and this initial release of Parker's sans the splendid backing band known as the Rumour puts the spotlight squarely on his original material. Of course, the man's own songs have always been the focal point of ...
Continue ReadingDonald Fagen: Morph the Cat
by Woodrow Wilkins
There's an engaging quality to Donald Fagen's songwriting and perfectionism that makes Steely Dan fans flock to his solo albums. While The Nightfly (1982) and Kamakiriad (1993) were expressly Fagen, Morph the Cat closely resembles Steely Dan without Walter Becker. The lineup partially reflects the ensemble that recorded the Dan's 2003 release, Everything Must Go, and toured with the group that year. The cast includes drummer Keith Carlock, guitarists Hugh McCracken and Jon Herington, and trombonist Lawrence Feldman. An assortment ...
Continue ReadingDonald Fagen: Morph The Cat
by Mike Perciaccante
Donald Fagen's third solo CD, his first such recording in thirteen years, blends jazz, soul, funk and just about every other musical influence you can name on nine new songs whose subject matter runs the gamut. The eclectic songs on Morph The Cat cover some interesting topics: a romantic interlude with an airport security guard ("Security Joan"); a conversation with the ghost of the late Ray Charles ("What I Do"); mortality ("Brite Nightgown"); and a cult taking over the US ...
Continue ReadingDonald Fagen: Morph The Cat
by John Kelman
Sometimes tight-knit teams like Donald Fagen and Walter Becker--better known as Steely Dan--make it difficult to determine what each individual brings to the table. It's no secret that Becker and Fagen have strong jazz sensibilities, not to mention an affection for Tin Pan Alley, having started out as staff writers for ABC Records before realizing their music was too sophisticated for the artists they were writing for. But Fagen's previous solo albums--Nightfly (Reprise, 1982) and Kamikiriad (Reprise, 1993)--and Becker's 11 ...
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