NUMBERS WEEK (MARCH 14-20, 2011)
After a 20 year wait, we Steely Dan fans were treated to a new album in 2000. The good news is that this sounds like any other late-era Steely Dan album (especially Aja and Gaucho). They didn't try to update their sound or throw new production tricks at the arrangements. They work within their own fusion-pop sound. That's good, because a failure after 20 years would really hurt the band's legacy.
You'd think the critics would lambast the band's lack of musical growth, but most seemed to like the album. Metacritic gives it a 77/100. In 2001, this CD won Grammy awards for both Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album while track 7, Cousin Dupree, won for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Curiously, those three wins are the only Grammy awards for Steely Dan in the history of the band.
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #6 (March 8, 2000)
Tracks: I'm a fan, so I think it's all good and gets better with each listen. Curiously, the title track isn't in 2, but 6/4 (4+2). My favorite tracks include Gaslighting Abbie, Cousin Dupree, and Almost Gothic.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I remember buying this CD the day it was released and calling friends over to the house for a listening party. I realize that's pretty geeky, but I've already confessed to being a Steely Dan fan, so "geek" is understood.
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