THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION: CRUISING WITH RUBEN & THE JETS

This early Zappa release, performed entirely in the doo-wop style, and almost entirely with a straight-face, is to me sort of from the Island of Misfit records. There's a lot of Zappa style to enjoy here, but I found myself waiting for the punch- line. Frank himself utilized this style sprinkled throughout his library, but always in snippets and with a wry or biting tone. Cruising With Ruben doesn't have that acerbic humor which I really dug in other releases from this time period. If you're going in to this one blind, be prepared for thirteen tunes that aren't quite doo-wop, and aren't quite fully "Zappa-esque." If you're like me you'll be scratching your head a bit, even if you kinda sorta like what you hear. If Zappa were reading this he'd probably encourage me to listen more deeply (and then flip me off or call me a product of the pretentious anglo-centric prog-rock movement), but the fact remains that Cruising With Ruben strikes me as a tertiary album in Zappa's lineup, to be enjoyed in sessions well after you've spun the man's key albums first. Good for fans, not for starters.

Songwriting: 2 - Instrumental Performances: 2 - Lyrics/Vocals: 2 - Style/Emotion/Replay: 3