| Cause I Sez So | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 5, 2009 | |||
| Studio | Utopia Sound Studio | |||
| Genre | Garage rock | |||
| Length | 46:26 | |||
| Label | Atco | |||
| Producer | Todd Rundgren | |||
| New York Dolls chronology | ||||
| ||||
Cause I Sez So is the fourthstudio album (and second after their reunion) by theNew York Dolls. It was released on May 5, 2009, byAtco Records. The album was produced byTodd Rundgren, who also produced theirself-titled debut album. One of the songs, "Trash", is areggae-style remake of a song that originally appeared on their debut album.[1] The album peaked at number 159 at theBillboard 200.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 5.3/10[3] |
| Metacritic | 73/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| The A.V. Club | B+[5] |
| The Austin Chronicle | [6] |
| Boston Phoenix | [7] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [8] |
| MSN Music | A−[9] |
| PopMatters | 7/10[10] |
| Record Collector | [11] |
| Rolling Stone | [12] |
| Spin | 5/10[13] |
Cause I Sez So was met with generally positive reviews. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, it received anaverage score of 73, based on 17 reviews.[2]
Michaelangelo Matos ofThe A.V. Club found the album "life-affirming" overall,[5] whileThe Daily Telegraph critic Andrew Perry said the Dolls are "in rude creative health" on their "tidiest [album] ever, and their most contemplative".[8]The Boston Globe's Jonathan Perry regarded it as "classic New York Dolls" full of "heart, soul, and swagger", and concluded, "Johansen's bowery rasp still has the texture of old shoe leather, but against improbable odds and the ravages of time, it somehow works beautifully."[14] While surprised at the band's newfound appreciation for "a range of rock styles so disdained bypunk", Andy Gill ofThe Independent believed the album is "far better than we had any right to expect".[15] Writing forMSN Music,Robert Christgau conceded it is the first of the Dolls' albums that is "less than epochal", but ultimately observed redeeming qualities:
Not all the tunes are surefire. Itsgarage-rock derivative is several degrees bluesier than the permanently explodingprotopunk they reprise on the closing 'Exorcism of Despair' just in case you forgot the thrill. And theBuddhism is more overt: post-flagellant culture,existence as a temptation, 'Offering the modern crowd an absolute/Worthy of its nothingness.' Just in case you forgot the frame of reference, however, there's also a skanking remake of 'Trash.' And in the endDavid Johansen's lyrics somehow combineextreme skepticism,metaphysical despair, romantic agony, rock-solidagape and luvl-u-v.[9]
Steve Kandell fromSpin was more critical, disregardingCause I Sez So as "all fun and harmless garage blooze ... ultimately as trifling astheir '73 debut was essential".[13]
All tracks are written by David Johansen & Sylvain Sylvain, unless otherwise noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cause I Sez So" | 3:06 | |
| 2. | "Muddy Bones" | David Johansen, Sami Yaffa | 3:00 |
| 3. | "Better Than You" | David Johansen, Steve Conte | 3:22 |
| 4. | "Lonely So Long" | 4:05 | |
| 5. | "My World" | 3:26 | |
| 6. | "This Is Ridiculous" | David Johansen, Steve Conte | 3:15 |
| 7. | "Temptation to Exist" | David Johansen, Sami Yaffa, Steve Conte | 4:02 |
| 8. | "Making Rain" | 4:06 | |
| 9. | "Drowning" | 3:32 | |
| 10. | "Nobody Got No Bizness" | David Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain, Steve Conte | 2:58 |
| 11. | "Trash" | 3:52 | |
| 12. | "Exorcism of Despair" | 4:17 | |
| 13. | "Lipstick, Powder & Paint" (iTunes bonus track) | Jess Stone | 4:17 |
| Total length: | 46:26 | ||
New York Dolls
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[16] | 188 |
| USBillboard 200[17] | 159 |
