Ta-Dah

1	I Don't Feel Like Dancin' 4:48
2	She's My Man 5:31
3	I Can't Decide 2:46
4	Lights 3:35
5	Land of a Thousand Words 3:50
6	Intermission 2:36
7	Kiss You Off 5:02
8	Ooh 3:29
9	Paul McCartney 3:44
10	The Other Side 4:22
11	Might Tell You Tonight 3:20
12	Everybody Wants the Same Thing 4:22

Barnes & Noble

New York's flamboyant Scissor Sisters continue to party like it's 1979 on album No. 2, proving their debut was neither a fluke nor a one-hit novelty. Ta-Dah is another fizzy cocktail mixed from equal parts '70s glam and disco, with a spritz of French house music just to keep things fresh. Jake Shears and crew also up the ante this time out. While their hit "Take Your Mamma Out" merely mimicked Elton John at his mid-'70s peak, Ta-Dah actually brings Reg to the festivities -- he co-wrote and plays on "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'," a vamping, Bee Gees-inspired number that is the musical equivalent of a feather boa. But Scissor Sisters sound more like him when he's not around; the bouncy "She's My Man," owes more than a little to "I'm Still Standing," and "Land of a Thousand Words" is a soaring ballad worthy of Captain Fantastic. The other major influence heard here is fellow '70s songsmith Paul Williams, whose soundtracks for Phantom of the Paradise, Bugsy Malone, and The Muppet Movie have left musical fingerprints all over Ta-Dah, most notably the Tin Pan Alley sounds of "I Can't Decide" and "Intermission." Actually, to call the band a flesh-and-blood version of Muppet band Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem wouldn't be that far off, despite obvious lyrical differences. But what Scissor Sisters do best is make you move, and "Ooh," "Paul McCartney," and "I Don't Feel Like Dancin' " are irresistible dance-floor fillers. There may not be anything as show-stopping as the first album's disco-fied cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," but Ta-Dah is a more confident, consistent album that will keep the party raging -- and neighbors complaining -- late into the night. Bill Pearis

All Music Guide

The first Scissor Sisters album was one of the catchiest debuts of the new millennium, but also one of the best-crafted. All camp on the surface but with plenty of substance underneath, it succeeded because the group wrote fantastic songs and backed them with excellent productions, usually in the vein of their biggest pop/dance heroes, from the Bee Gees to George Michael. If the follow-up, Ta-Dah, doesn't reach as high as its predecessor, it's certainly not the fault of some spot-on arrangements by head producer Babydaddy. Soundtracking his own mythical night at Studio 54 circa 1978, Babydaddy's Discoball Jazzfest Studio in New York City pumps out tracks gloriously in debt to the Bee Gees (of course), Elton John (although not on the track he contributes piano to), the Rolling Stones' brassy late-'70s stompers, electro-disco arena rock (if there is such a thing), and some sort of '70s disco hokum that features a very talented Gina Gershon on jew's-harp. Similarities to their debut are much easier to find than differences, although the songs aren't quite as memorable (except the single "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'") and Ta-Dah is slightly samey in comparison. (The debut ranged for influences as late as 1987, and flaunted a tougher, leaner sound.) Still, Scissor Sisters remain consummate masters of their material; the chord changes on the ballad "Land of a Thousand Words" defy listeners to not think of a glittering discoball, which is precisely the right image to be conjured. John Bush