Review of Morph The Cat Album by Donald Fagen

Donald Fagen

Donald Fagen Morph The Cat Album

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
3/5

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