Comfort Eagle

by

CAKE

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I purchased this CD after both my husband and my 12-year-old daughter agreed that "Short Skirt, Long Jacket" was a pretty jammin' tune. Trust me, they never agree on anything--which makes listening to music in the car an adventure in family trauma.

Imagine my surprise when we found that "SS, LJ" was merely the tip of the iceberg: probably the most mainstream (dare I say, "derivative"?) track in the package. Cake is a clever, hip, musically-friendly group with a style that's indefinable. Mix elements of country, jazz, disco, funk, salsa . . . hey, that's a TRUMPET in the background!

"Opera Singer" was hilarious in its self-deprecating, deadpan delivery. If you haven't heard Cake, you can't understand why McCrea intoning "I am an opera singer" is so funny. Just trust me. I laughed. "Shadow Stabbing" has a lovely melodic line, striking lyrics, and a bouncy rhythm that has me pushing that back button on the CD player. "Symphony in C" and "Long Line of Cars" have a melancholy feel, some great guitar, and again . . . love the lyrics.

Special mention must be made of "Comfort Eagle." Wry, rhythmic, off-beat, and . . . yes, everybody in the car was screaming out "Dude!" right along with McCrea. That's everybody--from my 50ish husband, to my 9-year-old daughter who usually listens to nothing but bubblegum pop. "Do you believe in the one big song?" This just may be it.

I didn't know much about Cake when I bought this CD, but I'm going out to buy the whole catalog.

Cake rocks.

Comfort Eagle is still clearly Cake, and the sound is as unmistakably unique as it's always been. This album lacks the punch of past efforts, however. Most fans regard Fashion Nugget was the best work Cake has ever done, but since then, whether due to departing members, or other factors, their sound has dulled somewhat. You won't find much in the way of the amazing country tinged work Cake used to do on Comfort Eagle. You won't find the songwriting to be as diverse either. There are no tangos or waltzes on this album, just Cake's particular brand of pop /rock. That's not to say the album is a misstep though. There are still many great Cake moments on Comfort Eagle, but it seems like the unpredictable and erratic nature of Cake, formerly a defining characteristic of theirs, has fallen to the wayside in favor of a more formulaic approach. Oh well. Still good.