Disco de Barenaked Ladies: “Everything to Everyone”

I must admit, I thought there would never be a great Barenaked Ladies album again. After the wildly popular, but mostly soulless and derivative "Stunt" and the better, but not terribly interesting "Maroon" it had looked increasingly like it was time to play Taps for what had been, in this reviewer's opinion, the best band of the 1990s. I bought this new album with great trepidation, expecting to be disappointed yet again, and have been listening to it constantly ever since. The 14 tracks on this new album represent everything that is truly great about this band: Witty, and yet sometimes strangely touching, lyrics. Tight vocal harmonies. Completely effotless swings between the wildly frenetic and the slow, nostalgic balladeering that is, at once, both out of place for a pop band, and somehow perfect for this one. And underneath it all, a core of rock solid musical integrity. Steven Page's voice is the best in the business and it is a deep pleasure to hear him using it to its full potential again. "Everything to Everyone" is BNL's best work since "Born on A Pirate Ship" and over time I will probably come to regard it as better, for I think there are fewer poor songs on this new album than there were on that uneven masterpiece. It will never rival their 2 truly great contributions "Gordon" and "Maybe You Should Drive" but it is still one of the best albums of the year and a great relief to the true Barenaked Ladies Fan.

A note: Buy the special version with the DVD. It is worth the money. A bonus song, the entire album mixed in Dolby 5.1, interview segments, and a great acoustic concert where BNL premiered 11 of its new tracks in front of a very small audience in the recording studio. Some of those versions are better than the album versions, and showcase why the Ladies are one of the best live bands out there.

I'm one of the unfortunates who was a fan of BNL long before they became popular. Therefore I'm initially disappointed with each new album. This one started out the same way, but by half way through I stopped hoping BNL would finally release another album like Maybe You Should Drive. Instead I found myself genuinely enjoying this album for what it is. With Maroon, they were trying to write a follow-up album to solidify their popular appeal in the US and it just didn't enjoy the creative freedom of their other albums. By contrast, Everything to Everyone is much more relaxed. BNL is back to having fun and you can feel the excitement in some of the new things they're doing with this album. A little country, folk, and the inclassifiable Shopping. The whole album gets better every time you listen to it.

My one disappointment is that with the CD+DVD set is that unlike the regular CD, this CD doesn't have the bonus tracks. Instead the bonus tracks are only on the DVD. The DVD is extremely impressive though. It contains the entire album, an acoustic version of the album, an extra bonus track, and a bunch of great video. The 5.1 Surround Sound on the DVD is amazing and it really shows off what we can expect someday when all albums are released in 5.1. It's a terrific example of what to do with a DVD and I hope other artists follow suit. It's definitely worth the extra money for this DVD.

With all the flak about cds not being worth their price when you can download music for free, here's a new release worth every penny of the $16-$20 cost. Not only do you get 14 new original songs, but a second bonus cd with the entire album in 5.1 Surround Sound, a scathing bonus track called "Yes!Yes!Yes!" which is arguably worthy of being more than an add-on, and an 11 song acoustic studio session with dvd.

Talk about great marketing!

But, is the music worth it? Aren't some folks saying this is a departure from such greats as "Gordon" and "Maroon,?" So glad you asked. Personally, it feels like E2E picks-up right where Maroon left off, with a mix of bouncy and somber songs, nearly all with thought-provoking lyrics. Easy on the ears and good for the brain!

It's perhaps more eclectic in musical styles than their earlier works, which might be due to the fact that the entire band collaborated on writing the music, for the first time. It shows, but not in a jarring way.

The opening song, "Celebrity" reminds me of something from The Beatles' Revolver era. Immediately after is "Maybe Katie," poppy, breezy and reminiscent of an updated Roy Orbison sound. After listening to the cd two times, four songs refuse to leave my head - just what good music should do.

Call it a departure. Call it a different course. Being human means growing and changing, and in "Everything to Everyone," BNL shows us growing up can still be fun, interesting, and thoughtful.

Initially, I was dreading the release of new material from BnL. In my opinion, Maroon was the greatest album the band has ever done, and to top that would be a monumental feat, but, the Ladies have put an end to my fears. E2E is an amazing album, from the seemingly silly but actually quite deep Shopping, to the undisputed best track on the album, the 5:33 "War on Drugs". This song, in the vein of other great melancholy songs by BnL like "Break Your Heart", "Call and Answer" and "When I Fall", is a classic. It's is five straight minutes of unparalleled musical beauty. Everything about the song amazes me, and Steven Page displays some of his best singing to date on this track. Also notable tracks are "Upside Down", which, with its somewhat starnge musical genre and the Jim Creegan and Co. String opening, is a song that will have you dancing on the office floor, and "Maybe Katie", a catchy little tune that's sure to get stuck in your head. BnL should be proud of themselves, E2E is one of the best CD's I've listened to in quite some time.

When I first listened to this album I was disappointed soley because I was hoping for another Stunt album. After I listened to it once I popped in Stunt and got my fix of their harder stuff. After that I listened to the album again and remembered why I had become a BNL fan in the first place. These are incredible musicians that write the most catchy and fascinating tunes. Not ones that you'd blare across the dance room but ones that you feel like you've known your whole life. I love this album and can't get enough of it. Welcome back Gordon.