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100

The Guardian

The album is imbued with a post-9/11 dread, which deters Fagen from recycling the nostalgia and Lynchian fantasy of his previous albums.

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100

Uncut

Morph... sounds utterly of a piece with Aja. [Apr 2006, p.104]

Billboard

It is some of Fagen's finest work to date.

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Village Voice

Fagen's triumph of rendering post–9-11 New York most recalls how perfectly Steely Dan caught LA on 1980's 'Gaucho.'

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All Music Guide

More so than on Kamakiriad, or on the tight Everything Must Go, there is a sense of genuine band interplay on this record, which helps give it both consistency and heart -- something appropriate for an album that is Fagen's most personal song cycle since The Nightfly, and quite possibly his best album since then.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

There's something weirdly compelling about hearing Fagen settle into this particular rut, especially on a set of songs about growing old in an age of terror.

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Entertainment Weekly

With its precisely calibrated funk grooves, exquisitely tasteful playing, and general air of blissed-out languor, Morph is firmly in the smoothed-out tradition of latter-day Dan discs like Gaucho. [17 Mar 2006, p.111]

musicOMH.com

Indeed, if you are looking for surprises then you won't find many. As well as stellar production, another Fagen trademark is his willingness, even necessity, for songs to run their natural course.

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PopMatters

Despite the craft in this music--no, because of the craft in this music--most younger fans will run from Morph like it carried the very plague. No question, this album sounds uniform and rather overpleasant--engineered to a sheen of perfection.

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Los Angeles Times

At his best he spins these tales with a mix of literary craft and jazzman's cool, animating his narratives with vivid and colorful language. [5 Mar 2006]

Q Magazine

Smart, sophisticated, noodly--what else would you expect? [Apr 2006, p.113]

Blender

The unhurried, full-retail rock arrangements are splashed with lite-R&B syncopations and snazzy-jazz harmonies. [Apr 2006, p.111]

Rolling Stone

Contains his catchiest, most immediate compositions in decades.

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Mojo

The joy of Steely Dan's early albums was that their superior playing, production and craftsmanship was vibrantly energetic, spiced with rollercoaster twists and turns, and deeply sardonic lyrics... Fagen now lacks those vital extra elements, leaving just craftsmanship with no spark. [Apr 2006, p.104]

E! Online

Ultimately, it's hard to shake the feeling that something is missing.

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Stylus Magazine

Morph the Cat is too complacent, too enamored with its own lacquered contours.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 40 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jason K gave it a10:
Unquestionably my favorite album in several years, it combines unparalleled musical craft with some of the most current and vital lyrics penned post 9-11. If you are lucky enough to own a decent turntable get the vinyl version. It's my "watch their jaw drop" album when I'm proving how much better records sound than CD's. This album grew and grew on me after repeated listens and if you've forgotten what great music and stunning production sounds like with all the lo-fi minimalist garbage floating around this will be the antidote. Well done Donald.

steven j gave it a9:
ive been listening to fegan and becker for about 4 years, and ive heard just about every thing they've done, but this album shows donald fegans true talent in that it allows him to go his own way and bring in his more serious side. i feel that what he has truely wanted to do in his music has been limited by the likes of walter becker and in this album, now thats he's gone solo i think we can enjoy his superior tastes without beckers immaturity. dont get me wrong i love their duo, but that stuff has its place, i only gave this album a 90 because i didnt understand or like "mary shut the garden door", but the rest of the tracks are magnificent. I love you Donnie

Chris L gave it a9:
Mack, it seems this is not the music for you. Move on my young friend. But consider this: for 25 years I was neither here nor there about the SD song Josie. But then I got a kick-ass stereo and started to listen to a lot of jazz. On my return to SD, everything made sense. If you don't get the melodies and harmonies on Morph, you've either got a lot of listening ahead or you're just not calibrated for this kind of music. But pay attention because a lot of discerning ears and minds are spot on with praise here. Most songwriters will never write anything like The Great Pagoda of Funn. And Fagen is a songwriter first and foremost. He's held back his drummer here, Keith Carlock, intentionally. You should see him live. Wayne Krantz does his usual fab guitar work. And of course, like everything SD/DF/WB has released this takes multiple listens - perhaps years - to fully sink in and be appreciated.

Pete E gave it a10:
Another work of genius by a true musical genius !!

Doug C gave it a10:
Very Manhattan sound and subject matter. Great little humorous touches, too. Superb arranging, spare on solos, but tuneful and catchy throughout.

Neil D gave it an8:
To me, Fagen's music has become more subtle over the years, and it isn't really fair to compare it to early Steely Dan work. I find multiple listenings to Fagen's new stuff leading to a deepr appreciation of his gifts . It gets inside you after awhile. To those who criticize it as "elevator music," "smooth jazz,:" I could understand that point were it not for the incredible musicianship, lyrics, and song craftmanship. Fagen is a perfectionist, and if his music seems over produced, it is only so in context of "hip" now being defined as less production. That wasn't always the case. Believe me, Fagen and Becker's music will stand the test of time more thant 99% of current indie bands. At my age, 50, I now like Frank Sinatra and swing. Who would have thunk? So young hipsters, some of you need a little seasoning before getting the Steely Dan thing. Don't get off the elevator just yet.

John L gave it an8:
This isn't "The Nightfly", but it's far better than his second solo outing, and much better than the last Steely Dan actually(though probably not up their with Two Against Nature). About half a great album, and the half that's not great, it certainly very good.

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