KATY LIED

While definitely not a bad collection of songs, this just isn't an excellent album- it's rather faceless, really, especially during the second half. The Steely Dan sound is there, but the overall delivery isn't. Some up-and-comers work on this album, most notably Michael McDonald on vocals, and the late Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro. I enjoy the album okay, but just barely.

"Black Friday" This song reminds me of Joe Walsh for many reasons, not the least of which are the gritty lead guitar solos and the inflection of the vocalist. "Black Friday" is a fun, jaunty song.

"Bad Sneakers" One of my favorite songs from Steely Dan (and there are a few of those, I'll admit, despite not really considering myself a fan of the duo), it just begs for the listener to sing along to, and the guitar solo is one of their best.

"Rose Darling" After a stunning introduction, the music takes on an upbeat, almost theatrical musical quality. As is not unusual for Steely Dan, the vocal harmonies are quite strong, and not used in excess.

"Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More" Incorporating traditional funk music with a granular and at times psychedelic sound, this is a decent track. While I like the urban poetry of the lyrics, I don't really think the fluttering of the lead guitar is congruent here.

"Doctor Wu" The source of the album title, this song has a nice bunch of memorable parts. The saxophone is a great addition, if mixed to be a bit too loud.

"Everyone's Gone to the Movies" Like many Steely Dan songs, this one boasts a dark, heinous theme behind a big smile, bright sounds, and a major key. The lyrics involve a child molester who shows pornographic movies to kids, but if the listener were just bobbing his head along to the music, this would easily go unnoticed due to pleasant, punchy sounds.

"Your Gold Teeth II" Perhaps the most progressive song on the album, and not just because of the instrumentation and arrangement in the beginning, but because of how it rolls as a whole. It has both a pleasant and virtuosic jazz guitar solo and a gentle bit of drumming to break it up.

"Chain Lightning" A nice blues song, this doesn't really have much of the pizzazz of some of the other songs on this album- faceless, but not bad.

"Any World (That I'm Welcome To)" Like the previous song, this has a pleasant melody and theme, but is just a decent pop song and nothing more.

"Throw Back the Little Ones" This makes use of tempo and stylistic changes, from old hard R&B to suddenly easy listening bits. Unless the hearer is already accustomed to and likes this song, it is a bit difficult and somewhat unrewarding to follow.