It's strange to see Elkie Brookes, colloquially dubbed the "Mancunian Cilla", comfortable in any other zone than the husky MOR lounge of top ten hits like Pearl's A Singer and Don't Cry Out Loud. Still, it's always interesting to see the projects musicians were up to before they made it big on their own (I may well review Attila's only album one of these days). As for this collective, the name "Dada" gives all away; these are surrealist fusioners who clearly grew up listening to Freak Out and Trout Mask Replica, looking at Miro and Dali and watching the films of Luis Bunuel.
Throughout the album, Brooks shares vocals with a skilled falsetto male. Contrary to popular belief, it's not Robert Palmer but Singaporean songwriter Paul Korda. Opener Big Dipper converts seemlessly from Beefheart clangs to Joplin soul and back again, before leading on into an insane organ solo reminiscent of Deep Purple's Wring That Neck. The band manages to turn Stones classic The Last Time into a disjointed blues epic. Throughout most of the album however, the band lack awareness of whether they're coming or going, notably so on Seed Of Peace, a yawnable jazz ballad. Very few of the subsequent numbers stand out. One that does however is the beautiful Aspen, Colorado, with its shades of americana and Ian Anderson style fluteline; it's a prototype for the band Steely Dan would become. Finale Dada is a true showtune, clearly drawn from Korda's experience on the West End.
Overall, this is a distinctly average album. A good listen for Elkie Brooks fans, Vinegar Joe fans and cultivators of jazz fusion, but very few others.
For Fans Of: Captain Beefheart, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Steely Dan
Top Tracks: Big Dipper, Aspen, Colorado, Dada
Rating: 5.8/10
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