Cake MOTORCADE OF GENEROSITY

Cake: John McCrea (vocals, guitar); Greg Brown (guitar, organ); Vince di Fiore (trumpet); Victor Damiani (bass); Todd Roper (drums).
Before Cake became a renowned alternative-rock act with "The Distance" and its intentionally leaden cover of Donna Summer's "I Will Survive," the Sacramento-based group garnered attention for the cheeky single "Rock 'N' Roll Lifestyle," from its 1994 debut, MOTORCADE OF GENEROSITY. The immediately catchy tune serves as Cake 101, featuring all of the band's sonic trademarks--frontman John McCrea's deadpan vocals, intra-song genre-hopping, and, of course, plenty of trumpet (courtesy of Vince di Fiore)--which carry along wonderfully wry commentary about rock poseurs. While the rest of the album isn't quite as compelling as the aforementioned number, there are other bright moments, most notably the gentle "Jolene," a track that seemingly borrows the distorted guitar effect from the Replacements' "Within Your Reach." Though not as consistent as later outings (particularly the subsequent FASHION NUGGET), MOTORCADE OF GENEROSITY does announce the arrival of a gleefully adventurous ensemble, and is a must-own disc for all devoted Cake fans.

• Format: CD
• Genre: Rock