Album review: New York Dolls

Published on 01/05/2009 17:12

NEW YORK DOLLS 'Cause I Sez So RHINO 8122798677 **

The New York Dolls' glam punk hybrid was hugely influential in the early Seventies, when they released two albums that were ultimately more about the sizzle than the sausage. Now, in the Noughties, the only surviving members, singer David Johansen and guitarist Sylvain Sylvain, have released another two. This latest one is rather limp and grey. Perhaps they should now be known as the New York Trolls, the musical equivalent of your granny strutting her stuff on the catwalk in spandex. The opening title track is game but characterless rock, the anonymous blues stomp of 'Muddy Bones' leaves no lasting impression, and only with the strumming cascade of 'My World' do things pick up slightly. This is the sound of a Rock Van Winkle awakening after an epic slumber and suffering a noisy identity crisis.

Reunited with producer Todd Rundgren, there is sensibly no attempt to emulate past punk rock glories, but the sub John Hiatt mature bar room boogie is perhaps taking it too far. Indeed when Johansen growls out 'This Is Ridiculous' it's hard to disagree. The spaghetti western whistling and chorus that follows on the fumbling campfire philosophising of 'Temptation To Exist' reinforces that impression. Past meets present with a nonchalant revisiting of the old tune 'Trash', but at least 'Exorcism Of Despair' belatedly breathes new life into the Dolls' decaying corpse.

Download: 'Cause I Sez So, Exorcism Of Despair