Review:
The second album from Steely Dan finds the band at a transitional moment, with the potential to capitalize on the rollicking success of their first hit single "Reelin' in the Years" yet pushing toward the laid-back jazz-fusion outfit that they would become. As such, this is likely a strange album for any Steely Dan fan, yet it's perhaps a bit more approachable than most of their output for those not heavily acquainted with their work. While several of the jazzier numbers here (e.g. "The Boston Rag") uncomfortably straddle the thin line between sleepy and sophisticated, the overall impression of the album is that it stands as a statement of purpose, showing a large amount of diversity over its eight tracks. The band shreds through numbers like "Bodhisattva," doodles out a few jazzy midtempo tunes, then moves onto the oddball vamp of "Show Biz Kids." It's an album that fails to cohere on a certain level, because it is the work of a band that's embracing possibilities.
Top Tracks:
Dueling guitar solos define the punchy "Bodhisattva." The catchy yet withholding "King of the World" epitomizes the Steely Dan tension between pop songcraft and noodling digressions.
