Ugly Duckling

It's easy to understand how three guys who worked at a fast-food chain called Meatshake would have a sense of humor about the experience, so the members of Ugly Duckling saluted the place they met (and found plenty of motif material as well) for the recording of their second album. The trio flaunts the groovy tracks, tuneful choruses, and constant microphone passing of the classic Native Tongues groups, plus much of the sampladelic lyricism. Though they can't pull off their one attempt at a real anthem ("Turn It Up"), they have plenty of excellent moments on Taste the Secret. "Meatshake," "The Confrontation," and "The Drive-Thru" send up the inanity of a restaurant that takes the meaning of Steak 'n' Shake to a new level. "The Opening Act" does for support slots what A Tribe Called Quest did for the rap industry on "Show Business" -- that is, deftly intersperses off-the-cuff humor with cutting commentary. It's as disarming as the hilariously bubble-bursting "A Little Samba" from their debut, Journey to Anywhere. Unfortunately, Ugly Duckling make up so many tracks from clichéd scenarios ("La Revolucion," "Rio de Janeiro," "I Wanna Go Home," "Mr. Tough Guy," "The Potty-Mouth") that the total effect is less a spin through 3 Feet High and Rising than it is an hour of Yogi Bear cartoons -- fine when you hear any one track, but much too much over the course of a full album. [Emperor Norton reissued Taste the Secret in 2004, adding a remix of "Turn It Up" and "Something's Going Down Tonight," which featured Grand Puba.] ~ John Bush, All Music Guide