Sixteen Scandals (CD - 1997)

Caitol Steps includes: Bo Ayars (various instruments); Howard Breitbart, Emily Bell Spitz, Lenny Williams (vocals, piano); Brad Van Crack, Mike Loomis, Mark Eaton, Tyjuana Morris, Bill Strauss, Nancy Dolliver, Mike Tilford, Ann Johnson, Janet Davidson Gordon,Jamie Zemarel, Toby Kemper, Anne Willis Hill, Mike Carruthers, Amy Felices Young, Elaina Newport (vocals).

Engineers: Jim Smith, Andrew Campbell, Ron Larson.

Recorded live at Chelsea's Cabaret, Washington, District Of Columbia between 1996 and 1997.

The Capitol Steps are up to their usual antics, lampooning politicians and other names in the news during the mid-'90s, while even delving into inanimate objects and long-dead famous folks. Unfortunately, their lyrics aren't up to speed on many of their song parodies; as a result, many of the tracks hardly deserve a second hearing. Mike Carruthers does a dead-on impression of eccentric presidential candidate and billionaire Ross Perot in "Send in the Clones," while more than one member of the cast does a good job impersonating President Bill Clinton. Richard Paul is a scream as Senator Alphonse D'Amato, getting First Lady Hillary Clinton to testify about Whitewater before Congress, as she sings "Lie, lie, lie" (based on the chorus from Paul Simon's abysmal hit "The Boxer"). As usual, the ensemble generally loses momentum when it gets away from politics (especially "My Fungus Valentine" and "Hooked On Ebonics"), though "Always a Women's Room Line" and "Euro Pest" (the latter skewering the French for their sloppy operation of EuroDisney, though this track was already performed on the earlier Capitol Steps CD Lord of the Fries, suggesting a lack of fresh material) generate laughs. This live release ranks average at best compared to the entire output of the Capitol Steps. ~ Ken Dryden minimize