The Royal Scam

 

    More of the standard affair from Steely Dan on The Royal Scam with good jazz fusion. I'll say, I think that this is the smoothest album from the band yet. It's got more aspects of groove/funk in there that give it a good flow and makes it just sorta wash over you at times. It's got some good new sounds that it experiments with but nothing too crazy or too much of a step forward, similar to how I felt about the jump from Countdown to Ecstasy to Pretzel Logic. The composition of the album itself is a little wonky, with most of the better songs lumped onto the first half, leaving the second to drag a little and peter out. The quality is still very much in tact throughout and their style and sound are still up to the quality of their better works, but overall the songs aren't as memorable as the standouts that've come before. I personally still like it a good deal and say that the stuff that's good here is really good, but I do think it's a bit of a dip in the discography, given how much I liked Katy Lied and all the praise and acclaim I've seen given to Aja. Pretty close call on the rating here, but I've given it the edge because a few of the tracks really are great enough to pull it up. Worth checking out if you've been into what they've done so far.

    Highlights: Kid Charlemagne, The Caves of Altamira, Don't Take Me Alive, The Fez.

Rating: 5/6