Aja (album): Difference between revisions

In retrospective appraisals, ''Aja'' has been discussed by music journalists as an important release in the development of [[yacht rock]]. In an article for ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' in 2009, [[Chuck Eddy]] listed it among the genre's eight essential albums.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Eddy|first=Chuck|date=January 1, 2009|url=https://www.spin.com/2009/01/yacht-rock/|title=8 Essential Yacht Rock Albums|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|access-date=June 8, 2020}}</ref> Writing for ''uDiscoverMusic'' in 2019, Paul Sexton said that, with the album, Steely Dan "announced their ever-greater exploration of jazz influences", which would lead to "their yacht-rock masterpiece": 1980's ''[[Gaucho (album)|Gaucho]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sexton|first=Paul|date=September 17, 2019|url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/yacht-rock-history/|title=Yacht Rock: A Boatload Of Guilty Pleasures|magazine=uDiscoverMusic|access-date=October 31, 2019}}</ref> Patrick Hosken of [[MTV News]] said that both ''Aja'' and ''Gaucho'' show how "great yacht rock is also more musically ambitious than it might seem, tying [[blue-eyed soul]] and jazz to funk and R&B".<ref>{{cite news|last=Hosken|first=Patrick|date=February 7, 2017|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2979002/thundercat-yacht-rock-revival-2017/|title=Are We in the Middle of a Yacht-Rock Revival|work=[[MTV News]]|access-date=October 31, 2019}}</ref> ''Aja'' was included in ''Vinyl Me, Please'' magazine's list of "The 10 Best Yacht Rock Albums to Own on Vinyl", with an accompanying essay that said: "Steely Dan’sDan's importance to yacht rock can’tcan't be overstated. […] Arguably the Dan is smoothest on the 1980 smash ''Gaucho'', but ''Aja'' finds Walter Becker and Donald Fagen comfortably hitting a middle-ground stride […] as a mainstream hit factory while remaining expansive and adventurous".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Malcolm|first=Timothy|date=February 20, 2017|url=http://www.vinylmeplease.com/magazine/10-best-yacht-rock-albums-own-vinyl/|title=The 10 Best Yacht Rock Albums To Own On Vinyl|magazine=Vinyl Me, Please|access-date=October 31, 2019}}</ref> John Lawler of ''Something Else!'' wrote that "The song and performance that best exemplifies the half-time, funky, laid (way) back in the beat shuffle within the jazz-pop environment of the mid- to late- 70s can be found on 'Home at Last.' [[Bernard Purdie|Bernard 'Pretty' Purdie]] feeds off [[Chuck Rainey]]’s's bass with righteous grooves and masterful off-beat fills with alacrity in this tight band favorite."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://somethingelsereviews.com/2014/11/30/best-steely-dan-drumming-performances-steely-dan-sunday/ |title=Best Steely Dan drumming performances: Steely Dan Sunday |publisher=somethingelsereviews.com |date=November 20, 2014 |access-date=October 4, 2017}}</ref>