Ta-Dah - Scissor Sisters

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 30
  2. Negative: 1 out of 30
  1. Even some of the kickiest stuff has an unexpected emotional punch.
  2. And while at first it feels like an unholy, unhummable mess, the same solid gold charm which powered lead single "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" to Number One, lurks at the heart of every track, and by listen five it's refocused "Ta-Dah" into a strangely enticing nether world, where it's forever 1974 and a cheap thrill or soaring pop high lurks round every corner.
  3. 90
    The second brilliant Scissor Sisters longplayer and the greatest album John/Taupin never made. [Oct 2006, p.96]
  4. Ta-Dah isn't an unimpeachable triumph from front to back, but it's a hell of a good showing.
  5. 88
    A glorious, towering achievement. [#22, p.98]
  6. 80
    They sound joyous even when they're miserable. [Oct 2006, p.96]
  7. 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.
  8. They haven't just picked up where they left off last time; they've recreated the sound of their debut wholesale, then tossed on a couple of extra layers of flamboyance for good measure. [Sep 2006, p.104]
  9. 80
    These new songs gleam with nouveau riche sparkle. [Oct 2006, p.96]
  10. For all its highlights, however, Ta-Dah is haunted by the thought that the Scissors Sisters can't keep this up much longer.
  11. There's a darker lyrical side to the album at once incongruous and ingenius when placed in such celebratory music.
  12. Despite embracing the styles of decades past (specifically, the piano-driven pop of [Elton] John and the Bee Gees' disco-riffic ditties), the Sisters still manage to sound unique.
  13. The bass lines bounce, the strings swirl and Jake Shears wields a killer falsetto.... But Shears has a dark side.
  14. Unfortunately, Scissor Sisters share another trait with the acts they idolize: They only produce a handful of great songs per album.
  15. Even more streamlined, pop-minded, and high-spirited than their 2004 self-titled debut, it's as if they're single-mindedly attempting to depose the world's problems with a rigorous dance and good times regimen.
  16. 70
    The music follows in the ruby-slippered footsteps of the first album. [Oct 2006, p.134]
  17. So what if Scissor Sisters aren't challenging the conventions of pop music?... [Ta-Dah is] great and will please their fans.
  19. Ta-Dah is easy to like but hard to love.
  20. Scissor Sisters sound under so much pressure to follow up a monster hit that they're not actually having any fun.
  21. With Ta-Dah, the band have decided to forego all the possible musical paths suggested in their debut and instead take the path of least resistance for most of the new record. Namely, making a safe, upbeat record that functions as little more than a feel-good, party album.
  22. 60
    [A] time warp of an album, which takes us back to a future where grunge never happened, glam is god, disco balls sit atop the world and glitter falls from the sky. [Sep 2006, p.129]
  23. Every song is rooted in some long-gone Seventies AM-radio hit... doing for disco what the New Pornographers do for rock & roll.
  24. Unfortunately songs that aren't immediately danceable... tend to dull the excitement. [Dec 2006, p.94]
  25. Whether the songs are merely half-developed or the sugar-sheen production simply washes them of any potential grit, it seems apparent that the dreaded second album curse hath struck again.
  26. Arch and ostentatious, their music both falls victim to and exalts in Warhol's 15-minutes-of-fame declaration. Like a screenprint of a soup can, it's at once timeless and pointless.
  27. It’s neat but slight, and a good deal less freakish than its predecessor.
  28. Despite its title, Ta-Dah offers few surprises.
  29. Somehow, Ta-Dah feels like the Sisters covering themselves, and the glitter and gloss have worn off.
  30. A very slickly produced record that's practically unlistenable.
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 29
  2. Negative: 2 out of 29
  1. OrlandoC
    Mar 28, 2007
    Ok its definitely not as good as the first album but its still pretty good.
  2. joeg
    Jan 16, 2007
    Significantly better than their first album.
  3. PRay
    Jan 3, 2007
    I refuse to believe that I am the only person who thinks, I dont feel like dancing, is the most irritating, cheapest, awful song of 2006! I dont get it, because I liked their debut, this sounds like a karoke version of the band, its horrible!!!!! Full Review »