Artist: Mike Doughty
Album: Haughty Melodic
Label: ATO Records
Length: 43:05
Review by: Justin Carretta

Mike Doughty may not be a household name, but his voice will make most alternative rock fans nostalgic for the late 90's when his former band was a modern rock staple. I remember always loving Soul Coughing's sound, because it was unlike most other bands I was hearing on the radio--a rock band with some hip hop and electronic elements thrown in, when everyone else was just trying to sound like Pearl Jam. The songs "Super Bon Bon" and "Circles" didn't make the band rock stars, but it at least gave them a footnote in the history of music.

 

Since Soul Coughing broke up in 2000, Doughty has been on the road, and this is the first solo album he's recorded in nearly a decade. His first, Skittish, was recorded in 1996 and discarded, never meant to see the light of day. However, after the album floated around the internet for a few years and gained a following, it was officially released in 2000. Haughty Melodic has been in the works ever since, as a number of these songs have been around for a long time-"Busting Up a Starbucks" and "His Truth is Marching On" are among the four tracks that also appeared on Doughty's 2002 live album, Smofe and Smang.  In 2004, Doughty signed to ATO Records, the label founded by Dave Matthews (who makes an appearance on "Tremendous Brunettes"), and this is his first true studio album-Skittish was a low-budget acoustic project, more a demo than anything.

 

The difference between Soul Coughing and Doughty's solo material is the simplicity. Soul Coughing featured a lot of electronic experimentation in their music, but Haughty Melodic is based mostly on the guitar and drums (provided by N.E.R.D drummer Eric Fawcett) with an occasional cello or trumpet solo mixed in. The stripped-down style further emphasizes Doughty's unique voice and focuses more on the simple melodies throughout the CD. Nothing approaches the bombastic "Super Bon Bon" (although most of Soul Coughing's catalog doesn't either) and those who liked the catchy, spastic rhythm of "Circles" would feel right at home here. Great songs such as "Looking at the World From the Bottom of the Well" and "American Car" are much like a lot of Soul Coughing's material, but Doughty also shows the ability to pen a great ballad. The gorgeous "Unsingable Name" is far and away the strongest track on the album, and the completely acoustic "White Lexus" is a far departure from what you would expect from Doughty.

 

The only problems arise when Doughty gets too attached to his choruses. The line "I feel like busting up a Starbucks" in "Busting Up A Starbucks" is catchy, yet he repeats it far too many times, and "Tremendous Brunettes" does the same thing. These problems are few and far between, and the brilliance of numerous tracks completely overshadow any slight problems. Let's just hope that a follow-up doesn't take another decade.