"Steely Who?" was a commonly heard phrase on Grammy night after Steely Dan's Grammy sweep, uttered, undoubtedly, most often by shallow music fans weaned on the likes of Eminem, who couldn't appreciate good music if it blared from their steroes above the threshold of pain. And good music is what Two Against Nature is. Though not nearly as melodic as their 70's work, the songs on this album are perfectly arranged and structured and professionally and maturely played. The lyrics of Steely Dan are just as malicious here as ever, though in a somewhat subtler fashion (Cousin Dupree being an obvious exception, however.) Rather than relying so much on melodies, the music on this album brances out from past Steely Dan records by an expansive of the electric guitar from Walter Becker, who has really come into his own (rather than allowing sessionists to do most of the work for him), he has several excellent guitar solos on this album. Becker contributes some awesome basslines as well. Also prominent are several superior saxophone solos, particularly the closing sax solo on West of Hollywood ranks as one of the best I've heard in years in the rock format. The best tracks here are Cousin Dupree and Jack of Speed, though there are no weak ones. This really holds together quite well as an album, rather than as a collection of individual tracks. The only bad thing I can point out about this album is that Donald Fagen's voice is not what it used to be. I don't know if it has weathered with age, or if he has simply changed his style. It's not bad, but I miss the caustic, smart-alec posturings of his 70's vocal stylings. However, this doesn't bring the album down. The arrangements are spot-on, the playing is stellar, the lyrics are clever, and it is immaculately produced. Buy this if you have missed Steely Dan the last 20 years, or if you're eager to answer the question "Steely Who?"