Who would have thought that? A new studio album by the stubborn and perfectionist duo Steely Dan, which seemed to have split up for good after his last album Gaucho from 1980. In the course of the nineties the two began to work together again: Donald Fagen contributed to Walter Becker's solo album 11 Tracks of Whack and Becker produced Fagens Kamakiriad. After that, to everyone's surprise, Steely
… Dan was re-founded. A tour followed, which resulted in the CD Live in America (1995). Two against nature, the first Steely Dan album in 20 years, is a logical continuation of the solo CDs of both gentlemen. That is to say: perfectly played and produced funky grooves, jazzy chord progressions, beautiful choirs and familiar wind arrangements. Not innovative, not as good as their work from the 1970s, but more inspired than Gaucho and with a few gems like Janie Runaway, Almost Gothic and West of Hollywood. (WvdZ)more
