Caught in the Carousel

Mike Doughty

Golden Delicious
ATO

As a long-time Soul Coughing fan, I wanted to like ex-frontman Mike Doughty's new solo album Golden Delicious. But all his rasping, funky, lyrical, jazz-meets-spoken-word-poetry charm has been washed out of this record, as if it spent a spin cycle on Dave Matthews Bland mode. There are a few bright spots, don't get me wrong. The catchy Little Drummer Boy-esque "barumpadombom" on the second track ("I Just Want The Girl In The Blue Dress To Keep On Dancing") keeps the head bobbin' in between clever quips like, "I love your baby fat/Your crooked nose is where it's at," and the chorus of "Put It Down" is classic Doughty strum-funk ("Drop it in the mail/Bottle up the sauce"). But both of these tracks are also oversaturated with backup vocals, making them feel too sing-songy and forced. Ditto the potentially fresh "I Wrote a Song About Your Car," complete with its "na na na na" close-out that drowns out the band's chance to showcase what they're capable of. The first single, "27 Jennifers," features a cool John Kirby keyboard solo reminiscent of Van Halen's "Jump," but the rest of the song sacrifices the spunk and spontaneity of the original stripped-down version (from the Rockity Roll E.P.) and settles for pop mediocrity. The anti-war opener "Fort Hood," which borrows its chorus from the '60s peace-plea "Let the Sunshine In," drips with plenty of sunshine-to a fault. Meanwhile, the album drags listlessly with the pairing of "I Got The Drop On You" and "Wednesday (No Se Apoye)." Finally, it closes with-surprise, surprise-three more cuts of pop fluff (though there is some notable Doughty wordsmithing in "Navigating By The Stars At Night"). In the end, my favorite track is the quirky "More Bacon Than The Pan Can Handle"; thanks to the sample soundbites provided by Stephanie Beatriz, this song sounds most like the Soul Coughing of old. Regrettably, it is the anomaly on this record. Doughty should kick his DMB affinity to the curb and reunite with his former bandmates before he winds up hawking old poetry books and collecting spare change in his guitar case in the subway. Skip Golden Delicious and go buy a used copy of Ruby Vroom instead.

--Mark Cabasino