Ta-Dah

Ta-Dah isn't an unimpeachable triumph from front to back, but it's a hell of a good showing.

The second brilliant Scissor Sisters longplayer and the greatest album John/Taupin never made. [Oct 2006, p.96]

And while at first it feels like an unholy, unhummable mess, the same solid gold charm which powered lead single "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" to Number One, lurks at the heart of every track, and by listen five it's refocused "Ta-Dah" into a strangely enticing nether world, where it's forever 1974 and a cheap thrill or soaring pop high lurks round every corner.

A glorious, towering achievement. [#22, p.98]

They sound joyous even when they're miserable. [Oct 2006, p.96]

Despite embracing the styles of decades past (specifically, the piano-driven pop of [Elton] John and the Bee Gees' disco-riffic ditties), the Sisters still manage to sound unique.

These new songs gleam with nouveau riche sparkle. [Oct 2006, p.96]

Similarities to their debut are much easier to find than differences, although the songs aren't quite as memorable (except the single "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'") and Ta-Dah is slightly samey in comparison.

They haven't just picked up where they left off last time; they've recreated the sound of their debut wholesale, then tossed on a couple of extra layers of flamboyance for good measure. [Sep 2006, p.104]

For all its highlights, however, Ta-Dah is haunted by the thought that the Scissors Sisters can't keep this up much longer.

There's a darker lyrical side to the album at once incongruous and ingenius when placed in such celebratory music.

The bass lines bounce, the strings swirl and Jake Shears wields a killer falsetto.... But Shears has a dark side.

Unfortunately, Scissor Sisters share another trait with the acts they idolize: They only produce a handful of great songs per album.

Even more streamlined, pop-minded, and high-spirited than their 2004 self-titled debut, it's as if they're single-mindedly attempting to depose the world's problems with a rigorous dance and good times regimen.

What remains is a band conflicted about how to stretch and how far to stray from a winning formula, between living up to expectations and confounding them.

So what if Scissor Sisters aren't challenging the conventions of pop music?... [Ta-Dah is] great and will please their fans.

Ta-Dah is easy to like but hard to love.

The music follows in the ruby-slippered footsteps of the first album. [Oct 2006, p.134]

Every song is rooted in some long-gone Seventies AM-radio hit... doing for disco what the New Pornographers do for rock & roll.

With Ta-Dah, the band have decided to forego all the possible musical paths suggested in their debut and instead take the path of least resistance for most of the new record. Namely, making a safe, upbeat record that functions as little more than a feel-good, party album.

Unfortunately songs that aren't immediately danceable... tend to dull the excitement. [Dec 2006, p.94]

[A] time warp of an album, which takes us back to a future where grunge never happened, glam is god, disco balls sit atop the world and glitter falls from the sky. [Sep 2006, p.129]

Scissor Sisters sound under so much pressure to follow up a monster hit that they're not actually having any fun.

It’s neat but slight, and a good deal less freakish than its predecessor.

Whether the songs are merely half-developed or the sugar-sheen production simply washes them of any potential grit, it seems apparent that the dreaded second album curse hath struck again.

Despite its title, Ta-Dah offers few surprises.

Arch and ostentatious, their music both falls victim to and exalts in Warhol's 15-minutes-of-fame declaration. Like a screenprint of a soup can, it's at once timeless and pointless.

Somehow, Ta-Dah feels like the Sisters covering themselves, and the glitter and gloss have worn off.