Nightfly

Personnel includes: Donald Fagen (vocals, acoustic & electric pianos, organ, synthesizer); Steve Khan (acoustic guitar); Hugh McCracken (guitar, harmonica); Larry Carlton, Dean Parks, Rick Derringer (guitar); Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone); Ronnie Cuber (baritone saxophone); Randy Brecker (trumpet, flugelhorn); Greg Phillinganes (acoustic & electric pianos, clavinet, synthesizer); Michael Omartian (acoustic & electric pianos); Will Lee, Anthony Jackson, Chuck Rainey, Marcus Miller, Abraham Laboriel (bass); Jeff Porcaro, Steve Jordan (drums); Starz Vanderlocket (percussion, background vocals); Valerie Simpson, Zack Sanders, Frank Floyd, Gordon Grody, Daniel Lazerus, Leslie Miller (background vocals).
Recorded at Soundworks Digital Audio/Video Recording Studios and Automated Sound, New York, New York; Village Recorders, Los Angeles, California.
Quality will win out. There was no need to put a great big Steely Dan sticker on this smooth little number, the radio programmers took care of that. No tracks jar, each has a big-smile middle eight and although it may be just too slick for some people's taste, mostly it is a tremendous solo album. 'I.G.Y. (International Geophysical Year)', 'New Frontier' and the title track are gloriously easy on the ear. The cover version of Leiber and Stoller's 'Ruby Baby' is so good it sounds like a Fagen original.