American standard-bearers for glam rock and important precursors to punk rock, The New York Dolls reunited (at the personal request of longtime fan Morrissey) nearly three decades after their early-1970s heyday. Original Dolls David Johansen and Syl Sylvain still have all the sass and swagger of their prime on CAUSE I SEZ SO. Todd Rundgren had helmed the band's debut and returns in the same capacity for this 2009 Atco album, helping the quintet push its sonic envelope a bit beyond the Stonesy racket of yore. A reggae-tinged reworking of their '70s classic “Trash” may be the most striking example of this, but the beautiful pop melody of “Lonely So Long” and the propulsive R&B of “Nobody Got No Bizness” show the Dolls can wear any style and make it look great. We'll give CAUSE I SEZ SO another spin in memory of the band's drummer Jerry Nolan, who passed away on this day in 1992.
