Ta Dah!

The second album by New York City's Scissor Sisters, Ta-Dah, brings with it a huge weight of expectations. After all, their debut album slowly rode up the charts in 2004 to become that year's biggest selling album. The good news is that, like their debut, Ta-Dah is packed full of witty, grown-up pop music. Their influences remain the same, including a bit of 1970's disco and glam rock, a bit of classic Fleetwood Mac and a bit of early Elton John (who plays piano on the ultra-catchy album opener "I Don't Feel Like Dancing"). Musically, it's easily as much fun as their debut: "Land of a Thousand Words" is an homage to the themes from the James Bond films, "She's My Man" tells the tale of a fabled female New Orleans river pirate, "Ooh" is the funkiest dance song never played at Studio 54 and "Kiss You Off" is a liberating break-up anthem sung by the band's Ana Matronic. Lyrically, though, Ta-Dah is not as full of the unchecked hedonism of their first album, with the vaudevillian "Intermission" proclaiming, "We were born to die." But even if the sentiment isn't particularly cheerful, the music definitely is. With Ta-Dah, the Scissor Sisters manage to be both big and clever, once again producing some of the smartest pop music you can dance to. --Ted Kord

Track 12 has a blank patch, which is intentional not a manufacturing fault.

Detailed item info Track listing 1. I Don't Feel Like Dancin' 2. She's My Man 3. I Can't Decide 4. Lights 5. Land Of A Thousand Words 6. Intermission 7. Kiss You Off 8. Ooh 9. Paul McCartney 10. Other Side 11. Might Tell You Tonight 12. Everybody Wants The Same Thing 13. Transistor (bonus track) Details Number of CDs: 1 Producer: Dan Recording type: Studio Distributor: Universal Music Recording mode: Stereo Album notes The Scissor Sisters' self-titled 2004 debut proved the band to be postmodern recombinant wizards of the first order, mixing the hookiest elements of pop history with tongues planted firmly in cheeks. The group's sophomore effort, TA-DAH, builds on many of those same references, including flashy glitter-ball disco, accessible 1970s AM pop, glam rock, and almost any artist who has crafted dramatic, danceable jams with a knowing wink.When not mining familiar vibes from the Bee Gees ("I Don't Feel Like Dancin'") and Elton John ("She's My Man"), the Scissor Sisters reference Blondie ("Kiss You Off"), Paul McCartney (the music hall-esque "I Can't Decide"), and Stevie Wonder (on the funky tune titled, ironically, "Paul McCartney"), among others. But it's the way the Sisters throw these elements together that lifts them above jokiness and into the realm of pure, celebratory fun. And it's this--along with the album's sharp sense of craft-- that makes it superior to its predecessor.