2006年VOA标准英语-Fagen Goes Front and Center with "Morph th

By Doug Levine
Washington
30 April 2006

Donald Fagen likes to take his time. It took his group Steely Dan more than 20 years to tour, and it took the singer and keyboardist even longer to tour as a soloist¹. The long wait is over, and Donald Fagen is once again front and center with a new album, "Morph The Cat."

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Releasing an album once ever 10 or 12 years could be a risky² proposition for some. For Donald Fagen, the more time off the better because it gives him time to do what he does best, observe.

At 58, Fagen would be the first to disagree about his level of output. In fact, he's been telling people that the last 13 years have been the busiest of his career. Counting a pair of brand new Steely Dan albums and the second and third solo albums in his so-called musical trilogy, there's no doubt he's still out there working hard.

Donald Fagen released his first solo effort The Nightfly to overwhelming critical acclaim³ just a year after Steely Dan's breakup in 1981. Fagen says that album represented his youth, a fresh start, a new beginning. His follow-up in 1993, Kamakiriad, introduced Fagen at mid-life, while his latest Morph The Cat,  according to Fagen, "is about endings."

The album may have its dark and foreboding side, but the Steely Dan-inspired music far outweighs⁴ any thought of this being Fagen's farewell. Fans will appreciate his signature first-person musings, from a mundane⁵ encounter with an airport security screener to a fantasy conversation with the late Ray Charles.

Oddly, Donald Fagen never toured in support of his previous solo albums, making this his first solo tour ever. Following the March release of Morph The Cat, Fagen performed 18 concerts in the United States, with more dates on his solo tour expected.

1 soloist   

n.独奏者，独唱者

参考例句：

• The soloist brought the house down with encore for his impressive voice.这位独唱家以他那感人的歌声博得全场喝彩。
• The soloist had never performed in London before.那位独唱者过去从未在伦敦演出过。

2 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

3 acclaim   

v.向…欢呼，公认；n.欢呼，喝彩，称赞

参考例句：

• He was welcomed with great acclaim.他受到十分热烈的欢迎。
• His achievements earned him the acclaim of the scientific community.他的成就赢得了科学界的赞誉。

4 outweighs   

v.在重量上超过( outweigh的第三人称单数 )；在重要性或价值方面超过

参考例句：

• Her need to save money outweighs her desire to spend it on fun. 她省钱的需要比她花钱娱乐的愿望更重要。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Its clarity in algebraic and analytical operations far outweighs any drawbacks. 文化代数和解析运算中的清晰性远远胜过任何缺点。 来自辞典例句

5 mundane   

adj.平凡的；尘世的；宇宙的

参考例句：

• I hope I can get an interesting job and not something mundane.我希望我可以得到的是一份有趣的工作，而不是一份平凡无奇的。
• I find it humorous sometimes that even the most mundane occurrences can have an impact on our awareness.我发现生活有时挺诙谐的，即使是最平凡的事情也能影响我们的感知。