New York Dolls – Dancing Backward in High Heels (429)

I was initially skeptical of the New York Dolls reunion and comeback, since they were missing a majority of the original gang. But my apprehension was quashed by 2006’s barnstorming tour-de-force One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This. The follow-up, Cause I Sez So, was not as strong but I saw them live on that tour and they absolutely killed, playing all the classics alongside the new stuff and proving to me that they are still a relevant rock act. Then when they went to make this new record, their entire team of young gun replacements opted not to join them. Instead of regrouping, sole original members David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain decided to plow ahead on their own. The result is a solid album that pays loving tribute to their roots, but has little in common with the New York Dolls that you remember.

Simply put, the guitars aren’t loud enough and there aren’t enough of them. Lead axeman Steve Conte is sorely missed here, and without him that Johnny Thunders guitar sound is entirely absent. The only song that even resembles vintage Dolls is “I’m So Fabulous”, and that has more to do with Johansen’s playful braggadocio than the raucous guitar sound, which is buried in the mix under the sax, harmonica, and even the bass. In the place of guitar we get the organ, and lots of it, especially on the ballads “Fool For You Baby” and “Kids Like You”. Elsewhere they successfully explore the classic girl group aesthetic with “Talk To Me Baby”, “I Sold My Heart To The Junkman” and “Streetcake”. They also delve into Detroit soul (“Funky But Chic”), baroque sixties pop (“You Don’t Have To Go”), and even reggae (the insanely catchy “End of The Summer” and “Baby Tell Me What I’m On”).

Don’t get me wrong- I like this album a lot; it just wasn’t what I expected. It’s a fun party record that should make for excellent summer listening. I can picture myself sitting by the pool and grooving on it with a pair of dark sunglasses and a fruity drink in my hand.