I Own That CD! - Mike Doughty

Today's featured release on I Own That CD! is an anagram of the performer’s name.

Mike Doughty released Haughty Melodic in 2005. It was Doughty’s first album with a full band since his days fronting the great Soul Coughing.

For those not familiar with Doughty’s history…He came to New York City at age 19 to study poetry at The New School (where singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco was one of his classmates) and while working as a doorman at the New York club The Knitting Factory (then an avant-garde jazz club), Doughty founded Soul Coughing. They released only three albums before Doughty broke the band up citing personal issues (he grew weary of being in a band, he was addicted to painkillers, heroin and alcohol).

After driving around in a van touring solo and selling CD-R versions of his music after shows, he hooked up with songwriter/producer Dan Wilson (Semisonic) to write and produce songs in Minnesota.

Haughty Melodic is a sweet, unique combination of his previous works that focuses on his transition to singer-songwriter. Taking the jazzy/hip-hop sounds from Soul Coughing and the poetic, acoustic early solo work. Doughty’s mix of light-hearted wit (“Busting Up a Starbucks”) or disarming personal candor (“Sunken-Eyed Girl”) is effective while his voice has never been one that you listen to as melodic, it works so well on songs he speak/sings on. There’s not a lack of interesting instruments throughout (saxophone, cello, banjo, pedal steel). You may have even heard my favorite track “I Hear the Bells” on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy (Season 2 Episode 5) or Veronica Mars (Season 2 Episode 20).

The CD was without a label until Dave Matthews came along. They had worked together on a previous Doughty release (and Soul Coughing had opened for Dave Matthews Band). Matthews and Doughty ran into each other in New York City and Doughty was signed to ATO Records (Matthews’ record label).

Mike Doughty continues to release great music and write telling books (check out “The Book of Drugs”) and while so many people clamor for bands to get back together, I think we’re lucky he continues his solo journey and lets us follow. So take a listen to Haughty Melodic on your favorite music streaming service – or if you’ve got a CD player, you can borrow my copy.