Word: aja
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Aja...
...AJA IS STEELY DAN'S long-awaited, greatly hyped coming of age. We have been tantalized with sneak pre-listens on local radio stations and with pre-release ovations from the rock press. It is finally here, and it is obvious why this album has created so much noise...
Steely Dan crosses the fine line it has been straddling for so long; the band has solidly ventured into jazz, both instrumentally and structurally, although their vocals remain the same. Yet, even the vocals are not totally sacred. Don Fagen's voice is different on Aja; it lacks the gisty rasp; it is cleaner, using harmony where it never did before. The guitar is not nearly as prominent a player as it is in the group's other dramas. The Dan are using horns, electric keyboards, symthesized sounds as well as a distict jazz rhythm for their music...
Because of their limitless potential, this progression, Becker's scorching leads are sorely missed in the music. Steely Dan's ability to rock'n'roll attrated many of their current fans, and in Aja they have abandoned the juiced-up riffs of "Reelin' in the Years," and settled down to a contemporary jazz guitar, which is only intermittently prominent in the music. Sax, horns, vibes and keyboards carry the tunes to their destination, and in a very sophisticated...
Donald Fagen and Walter Becker composed smooth lyrics for Aja, proving you can combine meaningful lines with structural jazz. In "Deacon Blues" they make us privy to the business of their new album...