The Beck sounding “More Bacon Than The Pan Can Handle” was worth a second listen as I was utterly confused the first time through.  The song is like a twisted mix of experimental rock and jazz.  I really liked the female vocals as she just has a cute voice.

“27 Jennifers” is the first single off the album and has already been getting radio play.  This jazzy rock jam is more of an ode to all the girls in the past that brushed shoulders with Mike Doughty in the high school hallways.  They keyboard solo takes hints from eighties rock and came out of nowhere, leaving me with a smile on my face.

A deep breath is taken by Mike Doughty right before “I Got The Drop On You” starts.  This open mic coffee shop song is slower than the others on the track.  Mike Doughty’s stern low pitched voice bellows over acoustic guitars.  It is poetic with clever lyrics and I would not expect anything else.

The cute courtship-like song “Like A Luminous Girl” reminds me a lot of the days when I was addicted to Soul Coughing and searching for companionship.  It’s a love song about seeing someone in the city and wondering what move to make to establish contact.  This is one of my favorite tracks off the CD.

Closing the CD is “Navigating By The Stars At Night” a track that starts off with a rock element and is soon mixed with a hip hop like chorus.  Once the song ended I was left wishing there were more tracks on the CD as I was not finished myself listening to Mike Doughty and his band.

If you have ever been somewhere and overheard someone saying how awesome Mike Doughty is, this is your chance to find out how right they are.  Golden Delicious is his best work to date since the days of Soul Coughing.  For a guy who never gave up when others did, this CD proves that hard work pays off.  I will be talking about this CD for months to come.