Customer Reviews

Debutante

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's about time. Nash is back! And the world, or the music world, at least, couldn't be better. "Debutante" is an incredible album. From the current single, "Zooey Suicide" (which I've heard on the radio a few times and hope to hear way more of), to the Steely Dan "Dirty Work" cover, this album ROCKS! Every track is great, each hook gets stuck in my head for days, and I love it! Nash has such an incredible voice and the addition of the "soul sistas" make this album one to stay in my CD player for a long time. Now, if you will excuse me, but I need to put on my white pants, slap on my sexy silver cop glasses and go swingin'!

Sorry, but I've got to disagree w/ the other review. I've also been into UO since the early days, and this records melodies stick in my head more than just about any other release. I especially like "blow", "zooey", & " Los Angelena" & I'd put these & several other tracks up against any other UO tracks. I've given it a TON of spins, so I know I'm not just in the "honeymoon" phase a fan can get in with a new release. While not as "hard" as the early stuff, if you dig "Sister Havana / Positive Bleeding / Bottle of Fur" type stuff you'll dig this.

yeah, for some reason, the first two spins didn't do much for me, but then I gave it another chance and it started to kick in. Maybe there's one extra ballad, but really this picks up pretty much where Urge Overkill left off, and in my book that means it's a Must-Have. Nash rocks harder here than I realized at first... what can I say? I was spaced.

Nash really delivers the goods on this one. It took a couple listens to grasp the beauty and ambition. Zooey Suicide is classic Urge while Octoron is ahead of it's time. The guy took chances and you gotta respect that. This is a real album with a vision-not some attempt to create ""singles"-even though Cradle Robber sounds like a hit.

For some reason, this album was poorly received by the press. Actually, there is something about its first listen that's kind of a turn-off, but that just weeds out the impatient listeners. This CD is actually really good. Most music out right now is usually either different or good, but rarely both. This CD is a happy synthesis of those two qualities. What's so surprising about "Debutante" is how every last song is of such high quality. Albums this solid don't appear but a couple times a year. Picking a favorite song would just be too convoluted an undertaking. The music-going public would really redeem itself if it latched onto this album, but that probably won't happen (just look at the s**t that's popular now!). Instead, this will become a pleasant surprise to those that give it a chance. (Note: this CD is really suitable summer driving music)

An album rich in good songs and peerless execution, both in technique and style. Nash's presence is so large and his music so gloriously rocknroll, I cannot understand why he is not a bigger star, and that extends moreso to the great Urge Overkill. But stardom is not the point. The point is, the music-buying masses didnt get Urge, they were ahead of their time and they remain one of the last great rock bands.
This album is a slick production that encompasses a wide range of rock styles, all performed beautifully by Kato with virtuoso rock guitars, savvy use of keyboards and his ongoing love affair with female backing vocals featuring prominently throughout.
Debutante, the song, is so goddamned groovy it reminds me somehow of the Stones, I think it's the bass. Queen of the Gangstas is a masterpiece, just a very cool tune, with a great set of dynamics played with that kind of laid back cool and then machine gun blast reminiscent of the Urge sound. Zooey Suicide is the kind of number that should be an instant FM Rock hit but that's far too logical for today's market. Octaroon is uniquely dreamy and funky, with superior vocals and guitars playing around with an exotic subject. Black Satin Jacket shows Nash's vulnerability and the results are touching, as is the Steely Dan cover Dirty Work, a faithful rendition and really pretty stirring.
Born in the Eighties is super-cool, and Blue Wallpaper rounds it off nicely, an obscure and subtle rock dirge, coming across like a cousin of (What is) Artane off UO's Supersonic Storybook.
Debutante should have been rated among the best releases of the year 2000. Beautiful production throughout, this is a pleasure to listen to and one that grows on you.

I can honestly say that I own all that Nash Kato has done (yes, I have the Urge Overkill Album "I, Strange" on Ruthless and his one off thing with Steve Albini on the "Tellus All Guitars" comp.) I can honestly say that this is exactally what another Urge Overkill album would have sounded like. The hooks are there and so are the great sounding guitars. I don't think that Nash will get a fair shake for this album because people have preconcieved notion about him, because for some reason they were left with a bad taste in their mouth after "Exit the Dragon". But although that album wasn't as good as "Saturation", it still had merit. No one bothered to give it a chance, even the label left them out in the wind. "Debutante" is a very strong effort and deserves consideration on it's own. Song's like "Queen of the Gangsters", "Octoroon", "Born in the Eighties", "Cradle Robbers", and "Zooey Suicide" are all songs that should be played on radio or atleast M2. Why everyone want Nash to fail I haven't figured out yet, but one of these days he will rise again and shove it in the faces who have kicked him when he was down, and I think that "Debutante" may be the one that could do it if listen to with no preconcieved notion about who it is or how it should sound. I just have one more question, what the hell is a Octoroon?

Honestly, I don't understand why the press (almost in unison) has decided to slag on this album. Listen to it. Listen loud. It rawks. The guitar riffs are juicy; the lyrics are funny; Kato's croon is just drippin' with lust. In my opinion "Debutante" may be the best thing Nash Kato has done since "Stull," Urge Overkill's peak moment in the early '90s. The man sounds loose and liberated all the way through the album, as if he feels like he's finally gotten a chance to kick out the jams without a lot of annoying corporate interference. And as for this nagging argument that the songs on "Debutante" are somehow not catchy...? HUH! All I know is that I absolutely cannot get the melody of "Octoroon" out of my head. It's the catchiest song I've heard all year--and one of the coolest. (Bonus: "Debutante" includes an impeccably timed remake of an obscure early Steely Dan tune called "Dirty Work." Nash's version is suitably suave, slinky, and ripe with innuendo. Yum.) All in all, I think the critics have missed the boat on this one. Yeah, "Debutante" does require a couple of extra spins before the songs fully sink into your brain, but once that happens, your cerebral cortex will not want to let 'em go.

I just got Debutante and it hasn't left my CD player yet nor will it for a while! The whole CD is wonderful! My favorite tracks are Debutante, Cradle Robbers and Born in the Eighties. Nash has definitely shown that he still has it from the Urge days both in his style and his creativity. You got to love that voice!

This is a terrific cd, all the songs are awesome. I saw Nash live at the 31st Street Pub in Pittsburgh and he gave a great performance.