Donald Fagen - Morph The Cat Album Review

Donald Fagen
Morph The Cat
Reprise
Album Review

The title of Donald Fagen's latest LP is not an RSPCA bothering instruction, but is taken from its first track, where the Steely Dan-man croons about a ghostly feline spectre cheering up the residents of Manhattan. This is indeed a strange listen.

The album has a smooth, spacious aesthetic with most tracks clocking in at around six minutes, all of them built around ornate jazz-pop arrangements of keyboards and strings, with occasional funky guitars and duelling horns. This gives it a consistent overall ambience which pushes the songs more into the realm of "background music" for dinner parties and such. However, the soft, comfortable sound that spreads itself across "Morph The Cat" often disguises sardonic and biting lyrics. This is most apparent on the Bush-baiting "Mary Shut The Garden Door", where Fagen's combination of obscure metaphor and soft-jazz instrumentation somehow take the onus off the subject matter.
Another highlight is "What I Do" which supplements Fagen's pristine sound with a blues harmonica. The lyrics are based on a "conversation" between Fagen and the ghost of Ray Charles. It should be embarrassing, but somehow he pulls it off.
It is safe to say that this LP will please existing Steely Dan and Donald Fagen fans, clever lyrics combined with unobtrusive arrangements have been the cornerstone of Fagen's sound since the seventies. However, because of the adherence to this sound it is unlikely to win him any new fans. "Morph The Cat" won't change the world, and it's unlikely to be anyone's favourite record, but if you want your lounge music a bit more cerebral, look no further.

Ben Davis

------------------------------------------------------------------

Donald Fagen
Morph The Cat
Reprise
Album Review

How much more cred does any one man need than to be Donald 'Steely Dan' Fagen - all arch coolness and enough muso-genius to be able to get away with challenging, jazz-influenced rhythm, novel structures and melody lines, while having listeners think they should probably give it another go if they just don't get it. However, this isn't a Steely Dan album.
Donald 'Steely Dan' Fagen keeps enough of their funky R&B sound, but occasionally veers off towards, erm, Earth Wind and Fire's funky R&B sound. If you were ever a Steely Dan fan, Morph the Cat will take you back 30 years, to a world of electric pianos and gently funky guitars. I hope you're happy there. If you weren't, this will do nothing for you. Fagen sounds strained where he once sounded smooth, and more than once does one get the impression that the music here is simply computer-reassembled Steely Dan.

Mike Rea
Adult Contemporary Essentials

Rating 6/10

Rating guide:
9-10 Essential purchase
7-8 Good, definite buy if you've liked this artist in the past
5-6 OK only, don't say I didn't warn you
3-4 Poor, even for this artist
1-2 Awful