Rick B. from GLADSTONE, MO Reviewed on 12/14/2011...
This is a GREAT album. It contains many uplifting songs.
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CD Reviews
Intelligent, darker - and even better than the first one
noelle | Seattle | 09/29/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you're only familiar with "Take Your Mama" and "Laura" from the Scissor Sisters' first album, some of the tracks on "Ta-Dah" will come as a bit of a surprise. (But buy both anyway.) First, there are the solid ballads - in the vein of "Return to Oz" and "Mary" from their first album, the beautiful "Might Tell You Tonight" and "The Other Side" are placed later in the album, and come as lamenting love songs amidst a wealth of dance-inducing cuts. And the darker, twisted "I Can't Decide," with its bouncy flair (and Jews Harp played by Gina Gershon) is incredibly catchy for a song sung by someone who's trying to decide if they should commit murder or not ("I can't decide/whether you should live or die/Oh, you'll probably go to heaven/Please don't hang your head and cry.") Likewise, Elton John's co-written "Intermission" is equally jaunty and dark ("Happy yesterday to all/We were born to die.")
That's not to say you can't dance your a** off to this album - there are plenty of tracks designed to help you do just that. "Ooh" and "Paul McCartney" - perhaps the most hyper fan letter ever written to a Beatle - are both excellent reminders of why this band has the reputation it does. And the sole song sung by the totally fabulous Ana Matronic, "Kiss You Off," sounds like she's channeling Goldfrapp and Blondie at the same time - and with the driving beat and laid-back vocals, it works. Great lyrics too - "Kiss you off my lips/It's standing room only for a piece of my pigment/So excuse me a minute while I supply demand."
The lead single "I Don't Feel Like Dancing" is - and will be - ubiquitous, and deservedly so. With Elton John both contributing to the songwriting, and playing piano, and Jake Shears' disco falsetto, it's one of those rare songs that you like the more you hear it. And once you read the lyrics, you'll find there's much more to it than what its name seems to imply.
And that's true of much of the Scissor Sisters' music, which is why they're so worth checking out. They create intricate, fun, occasionally sad, beautiful, and poignant music, which is actually layered with meaning - a welcome change in a "mean what I sing" pop world. But then, these folks are no ordinary pop group - they keep getting better, and they mean to stay around for a while. Good thing, too. (And a quick word to the wise - if they happen to come through a town near you, do not hesitate to see them live. They're one of the best, most fun acts to come along in years.)"
Sisters deliver again!
Richard Nelson | Chicago, IL | 12/13/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is, in words lifted from it, a party that ain't over `til it's through. I have no idea how I have avoided a wreck while dancing and singing in my car. If "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" isn't the song of 2006, I don't know what could be; it protests against toe-tapping but is guaranteed to incite full-body motion. "Paul McCartney" is a riot, "Might Tell You Tonight" a very pretty but up-tempo falling-in-love song, and closer "Everybody Wants the Same Thing," while quite vague, is sure to be played in heavy rotation at gay marriage rallies. A rough patch in the middle precludes calling this the best album of 2006, but nothing closes the deal more effectively."
Put your best foot forward...and dance!
Angie Engles | Columbia, MD United States | 01/31/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ta-Dah speaks to my inner 70s child and part of my 80s. I could waste valuable time (which you should spend buying this) writing endlessly about how great this CD is, but I'll sum it as quickly as possible. Here goes:
THE OVERALL SOUND REMINDS ME OF:
the best of Elton John, Pet Shop Boys, George Michael, Abba, Times Two, a tinge of Go West, "Xanadu" (as Amazon.com so rightly puts it in their review) and even the harmony of the Beach Boys and Carpenters...
WHY YOU'LL LIKE IT SO MUCH:
Because you can dance AND listen! While the incredibly energetic, fun sound of disco is here and welcome, the often horrible lyrics that genre generated is most definitely (and with much relief!) missing.
TA-DAH IS THAT MOST RARE AND TREASURED OF ALBUMS:
the one where every track's either a winner or at least "not bad"!
AND THESE ARE JUST THE HIGHLIGHTS:
Track #1) "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'"--Do you remember the awful movie XANADU with the terrific soundtrack? This song reminds me of ELO and ONJ's collaboration on one of the most underappreciated soundtracks of the early 80s!!
Track #2) "She's My Man"--At the risk of implying Scissor Sisters borrows a lot from their favorite 70s idols, I've got to say this wonderful, quirky song reminds me so much of "Still Standing" by Elton John. (This is a good thing, though!)
Track #3) "I Can't Decide"--A great tongue-in-cheek song that reminds me of the Beatles if they were writing in the 21st century...any other song about killing someone would be totally out of line, but somehow it works here because...well...it's tongue-in-cheek of course!
Track #4) "Lights"--I can't help but hear echoes of "Grease is the Word" when this song is on, but again, they're echoes, NOT imitation. The power of this album is that it merges great lyrics with undeniably great beats!!!
Tracks 5 and 6 ("Land of a Thousand Words" and "Intermission") are pleasant enough but I can't automatically bring them to my mind and ear right now the way I can all the others..."Intermission" is a fitting title, though, since once it's over TA-DAH returns to its wonderful spirit!
Track#7) "Kiss You Off"--With its Pat Benetar bursts of energy, "KYO" forces you to sing along and you WILL do so, especially if that special someone's got you all hot and bothered.
Tracks 8 and 9 ("Ooh" and "Paul McCartney") are, hands down, the best of the best here. I hit repeat on "Ooh" at least five times before I continued on to "Paul" (a witty and sometimes funny pop powerhouse!)
SO TO SUM IT ALL UP:
Do you remember how you felt when you were a kid and you were worried the second time you listened to a spectacular album you'd find all its flaws?? Well your worries can be put to rest here. Each TA-DAH is good as the last one and that's a hard "feat" to do in contemporary pop."
Fun For The Moment
Josephll | CET | 11/05/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"When Scissor Sisters came out with theor self titled debut album 2 years ago, they took the music world by storm. Simply cause they had something that the music industry was lacking at the time. Cheesy and lightweight dance-pop that was fun enough to dance to but unserious enough to get on people's nerves. Their sophmore effort called "Ta-Dah" is pretty much like their debut was, unserious, catchy and very much fun but it's a little more diverse with a few ballads and even one rocker. And who doesn't like fun or diversity?. New York based Scissor Sisters comes up in a era where good dance music is rare and the few really good bands can make a bigger name of themselves. Face it, they are far from original. They are not sampling but they are heavily influenced by 70's glam rock and disco and bands like Queen, Bee Gees, Village People, George Michael and even Elton John who co-wrote their first single "I Don't Feel Like Dancin". But their music works fine nonetheless. They release what the audience wants and if you liked their debut you will enjoy this one also.
Elton John's "I Don't Feel Like Dancin" is among the catchiest dance hits around, infact Jake Sheers sounds like the Bee Gees alot when he sings their trademark falsetto. Midtempo "She's A Man" with a somewhat Queenesque sound, is just as good and "I Can't Decide" a Elton John sounding piano midtempo with harps is also fine. If you liked their first hit, floor filler "Lights" follow the same trend and is also a highlight. "Land of a Thousand Words" their second single is actually a ballad, but a good one. Perhaps a little surprising considering they are a party band, but if they want to stick around they rather try to be more varied then before. I don't like cabaret sounding "Intermisson" but "Kiss You Off" with Ana Matronic singing is another highlight. "Ooh" is another disco influenced falsetto inferno that isn't so good, but the funny titled "Paul McCartney" already is better. Next two songs are slower/ballads. "The Other Side" and then "Might Tell You Tonight" which is really good. Closer "Everybody Wants the Same Thing" is the needed rocker, it gives the album the rocky edge it didn't have before and that's a good end to it.
Overll, Releasing a sophmore album is always hard, either you play safe with releasing something simular to the debut or you try a new trend that may also flop. Scissor Sister do something in between, they continue where they left off on their debut but they also improve their sounds a little with some diffrent numbers. Alot of their music is really well produced and will be heavily played for sometime, but I feel like it's not essential. Good for the moment but not something you will not listen to in 2 years time. However as far as it goes, Scissor Sister are fun and trendy now, they make good and funny dance-music and they are improving. Hopefully their third album will be just as good. Recommended buy for a party or before a night out, Scissor Sister will get you in a good mood."
Kitchy, fun but needed a second listen
J. Peterson | MD, USA | 03/26/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I had never heard of the group but kept hearing about them and was curious. I picked up Ta-Dah! and at first listen was laughing because this was reminiscent of the bad 70's disco crap I grew up with. I hated the idea of having wasted the money so I gave it a second listen and then a third and was totally hooked! I can't even pick a favorite track, I love the tongue-in-cheek "I can't decide", the title track, love "She's My Man" and "Kiss You Off" and all the rest. I am so glad I took a chance and then gave it a second chance!!!!!"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
Rick B. from GLADSTONE, MO 
