My introduction to the New York Dolls was via Manchester’s Move festival back in 2004/2005. For a band who had only delivered 2 studio albums since their debut in 1973 the reception the guys received was nothing less than rapturous, with the Old Trafford bars emptying in super-quick time. Well, it’s now 2009 and the band has doubled its tally from 2 to 4 albums in 35 years with a comeback album in 2006 and now this one. Leadman David Johansen declares on the album’s cover, “It was amazing working with Todd [Rundgren] again, and I think we were able to evoke the special sound of our first album and drag it by the hair into the present.” 

The title track ‘Cause I Sez So’ opens the album with winding guitar riffs and hammered skins to kick the whole affair off in great retro rock style. Johansen doesn’t just sing the lyrics, he spits them out with real venom. There a powerful melody, more guitar riffs and just a hint of pop sensibility. ‘Muddy Bones’ repeats the trick albeit with a fractionally more thoughtful vocal and soaring guitar riffs that almost take on a life of their own. Great! ‘Better Than You’ takes the foot off the accelerator pedal in a more contemplative song with a hint of country in the guitar passages. ‘Lonely So Long’ injects a Merseybeat and Reggae vibe with a suitably pleading Johansen vocal (sounding very Mick Jagger).

So far so good. ‘My World’ ups the stakes with an epic track that takes a left turn towards psychedelica and I guess has been heavily influenced by producer Todd Rundgren.  Whatever, it’s a monstrous song and one of the albums genuine highlights. ‘This Is Rediculous’ is an ocean deep blues rocker that travels at the speed of a juggenaut travelling up a steep hill. Johansen’s vocal emphasis on certain words adds to the attraction of this song. ‘Temptation To Exist’ takes another turn, this time down a Mariachi route, and I fully expect this mutha to be included on the next Tarantino movie.

‘Making Rain’ features an acoustic guitar strumming away behind a seriously thoughtful vocal. The electric guitar then starts to sing along with a steady drum rhythm before the sound of thunder ends the song. ‘Nobody Got No Big News’ is firmly back on the slow-moving blues rock route, while ‘Trash’ switches back wholesale to Reggae in delivering a love song to a lady referred to as ’sweet trash’… ‘Exorcism Of Despair’ ends the album in rampant and dirty rock style with ‘oh yeah, oh yeah’ punctuating the song to provide another hint of the Mersybeat amongst the rubble

This is a wild album that seldom stays in one generic spot for long. The performances from Johansen and his instrumentalists are always classy; always delivering rock that leaves a smile on one’s face, and good enough to deserve a firm buy recommendation.

4/5