Spring Break
'Golden Delicious' is quite a treat
Mike Doughty's newest album is moving and fun
Deur Julie Tcha
Issue date: 2/27/08 Section: Features
Singer/songwriter Mike Doughty is truly golden and delicious. You'll get a taste of his poetry and funky rock with his new album "Golden Delicious," out now.
Working with Grammy winner Dan Wilson as his producer, Doughty is grateful for Wilson's incredible input on how to keep things simple yet make quiet songs sound loud, he said.
Doughty's play on words will take you on a rollercoaster ride, making you want to bite your lips to hold back tears, be thankful that you weren't a Barbie doll in high school and scratch your head with a frown on your face.
"Fort Hood," the first track, is a heartbreaking anti-war song. Doughty sings about the many young lives lost in war that should have been hanging out with friends and gossiping in the parking lot instead of dying at war.
Hearing "Blanked out eyes and the blanked out sound, I see them coming back, motionless, in an airport lounge, let the sunshine in," my heart sank to my stomach. The sorrow in Doughty's voice can be heard and the intensifying keyboard work of Black Eyed Peas' John Kirby really puts in the drama that seems necessary.
Doughty grew up in military bases throughout the United States and Europe because his father was in the U.S. Army.
However, the rest of Golden Delicious is more fruitful and playful, and the multimedia work enhances the messages he gives.
In the upbeat and funky rock sound of "27 Jennifers," Doughty uses his high school days to separate one girl from the bunch of plastics who might just have shared only one brain.
"You might be the girly who shall end all girls … I rode the bus with 27 Jennifers, 15 Jenns, 10 Jennies disapproved of her," he sings.
Doughty sings about how these girls hated the one Jennifer because she was different from the rest.
Most of his songs continue to be playful and delightful such as "I Just Want the Girl in the Blue Dress to Keep on Dancing," "Put It Down" and "Nectarine."
Well, until you hear "More Bacon than the Pan Can Handle." The beat is unique and Kirby's keyboard work continues to shine, but something seems to be off about this song for this album. It's a song that is great to listen to, but also you just don't understand what it's about.
Sounding similar to Dave Matthews Band, it's no wonder that after Dave Matthews Band met Doughty in the Bonnaroo Music and Art Festival in Manchester, Tenn., he was signed to Dave Matthews' ATO Records.
Matthews was a big fan of Doughty's former band Soul Coughing, which he left in 2000. After leaving the band, he hit the road and released two albums, and an EP. "Smofe + Smang" in 2002, "Rockity Roll" EP in 2003 and "Haughty Melodic" in 2005 allowed Doughty to showcase his multimedia, writing and vocal talents, which found him success when his songs from "Haughty Melodic" were on the shows "Grey's Anatomy" and "Veronica Mars."
Deur Julie Tcha can be reached at djtcha@statehornet.com
Working with Grammy winner Dan Wilson as his producer, Doughty is grateful for Wilson's incredible input on how to keep things simple yet make quiet songs sound loud, he said.
Doughty's play on words will take you on a rollercoaster ride, making you want to bite your lips to hold back tears, be thankful that you weren't a Barbie doll in high school and scratch your head with a frown on your face.
"Fort Hood," the first track, is a heartbreaking anti-war song. Doughty sings about the many young lives lost in war that should have been hanging out with friends and gossiping in the parking lot instead of dying at war.
Hearing "Blanked out eyes and the blanked out sound, I see them coming back, motionless, in an airport lounge, let the sunshine in," my heart sank to my stomach. The sorrow in Doughty's voice can be heard and the intensifying keyboard work of Black Eyed Peas' John Kirby really puts in the drama that seems necessary.
Doughty grew up in military bases throughout the United States and Europe because his father was in the U.S. Army.
However, the rest of Golden Delicious is more fruitful and playful, and the multimedia work enhances the messages he gives.
In the upbeat and funky rock sound of "27 Jennifers," Doughty uses his high school days to separate one girl from the bunch of plastics who might just have shared only one brain.
"You might be the girly who shall end all girls … I rode the bus with 27 Jennifers, 15 Jenns, 10 Jennies disapproved of her," he sings.
Doughty sings about how these girls hated the one Jennifer because she was different from the rest.
Most of his songs continue to be playful and delightful such as "I Just Want the Girl in the Blue Dress to Keep on Dancing," "Put It Down" and "Nectarine."
Well, until you hear "More Bacon than the Pan Can Handle." The beat is unique and Kirby's keyboard work continues to shine, but something seems to be off about this song for this album. It's a song that is great to listen to, but also you just don't understand what it's about.
Sounding similar to Dave Matthews Band, it's no wonder that after Dave Matthews Band met Doughty in the Bonnaroo Music and Art Festival in Manchester, Tenn., he was signed to Dave Matthews' ATO Records.
Matthews was a big fan of Doughty's former band Soul Coughing, which he left in 2000. After leaving the band, he hit the road and released two albums, and an EP. "Smofe + Smang" in 2002, "Rockity Roll" EP in 2003 and "Haughty Melodic" in 2005 allowed Doughty to showcase his multimedia, writing and vocal talents, which found him success when his songs from "Haughty Melodic" were on the shows "Grey's Anatomy" and "Veronica Mars."
Deur Julie Tcha can be reached at djtcha@statehornet.com
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
Natalye
posted 2/27/08 @ 10:02 AM PST
I actually (surprisingly) like this guy - his music is eh but his vocals are really soothing and I like listening to him sing. Interesting background information about him - although the DMB associations make me cringe. (Continued…)
erin
posted 2/29/08 @ 3:36 PM PST
Nice article, but Dave Matthews didn't meet Mike Doughty at Bonnaroo - they ran into each other there, but they already knew each other, they'd met years before. (Continued…)
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