Cause I Sez So

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Cause I Sez So is the New York Dolls’ fourth studio album and their second since reuniting. It was released May 5, 2009, on Atco Records and produced by Todd Rundgren, who also produced their debut. The album runs 46 minutes and 26 seconds and was recorded at Utopia Sound Studio. It is a garage rock record. One track, “Trash,” is a reggae-style remake of a song from their first album. The album peaked at No. 159 on the Billboard 200.

Critics generally liked it. Metacritic gave it 73 out of 100 based on 17 reviews. The A.V. Club called it life-affirming; The Daily Telegraph said the Dolls were in strong creative health on their tidiest, most contemplative album yet. The Boston Globe praised it as classic Dolls with heart, soul, and swagger, noting Ian Johansen’s voice still has a rough edge. The Independent thought it was better than expected. Robert Christgau felt it isn’t epochal but has redeeming qualities, including a reggae-style remake of “Trash” and lyrics with a mix of skepticism, despair, and romance. Spin was more critical, calling it harmless garage blooze and not essential. All tracks were written by David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain, unless noted.