Audio CD review:
Barenaked Ladies - Everything to Everyone

Barenaked Ladies - Everything to Everyone

Band: Barenaked Ladies Title: Everything to Everyone Rating: Release Date: 2003-10-21 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Celebrity 2: Maybe Katie 3: Another Postcard 4: Next Time 5: For You 6: Shopping 7: Testing 1,2,3 8: Upside Down 9: War On Drugs 10: Aluminum 11: Unfinished 12: Second Best 13: Take It Outside 14: Have You Seen My Love?

Really, really, catchy; really, really good. It had to grow on me, and I needed to listen to it a few times to appreciate it. This is an album that has to grow on you. My personal favorites are "For You" and "Upside Down," though every track is pretty good. "Shopping" had a slightly too subtle joke. It's true that in the second half, the album oses a little quality, but the really good tunes in the first half more than make up for that. There's something for everyone here--except those who will not, under any circumstances, listen to pop music of any kind, regardless of quality. I love this CD After this CD, I consider myself someone who LOVES BNL. Before this album, I would have considered myself someone who liked BNL. I got to see them in concert and perform the songs before I heard the CD. When I went to their concert, I knew it was going to be a good CD because I liked every song they performed (even though they were mostly new to me). There is a nice variety of tracks to suit different styles and moods. Another great one This collection shows how amazing they can be, with songs ranging from the silliness of "Another Postcard" to the haunting sadness of "War on Drugs. Barenaked Ladies is in top form for their newest release. " Steven Page puts his powerful voice to wonderful use on the latter, a solemn reflection on addiction and suicide. Ed Robertson is well-represented too, providing lead vocals for about half the songs. His voice is edgier than Page's, and he only contributed two lead vocals to their previous release, Maroon. He and Page should always split the vocal duties as evenly as they do here. The songwriting ranges from rock to folk-country to ballads, and the superb musicianship never misses. That said, the disc isn't perfect. "Shopping," featuring the incomparable Blue Man Group, was meant to be a satirical take on the Bush administration's urging people to spend money in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. As the band has admitted since, though, the point is too subtle and as a result, the song comes off as empty to people who don't already know what it is supposed to mean. "Another Postcard," while a fine song showing the band's lighthearted side, was a poor choice for a first single. Many people who discovered the band with "One Week" from 1998's "Stunt" have not been exposed to their other dimensions and write them off as a novelty act. Releasing the one silly song first just reinforces that misconception. The DVD that comes with the deluxe package is a real added value. The 5. 1 surround mix sounds amazing on a good surround system. And there is a 45-minute film of the band performing most of the album (all but two songs) acoustically, which captures them just hanging around having fun and is fun to watch. This is the band's sixth studio recording. I highly recommend anything they've done, and Everything to Everyone is no exception. Great record--won't bring new fans in, however... And the first listen?? Not great. Well, as a HUGE BNL fan, I naturally counted down the months, weeks, and days until Everything to Everyone was released, and was quite excited to pick it up and take it for a spin. Kinda weird, kinda uneventful. But it all sank in after about 3-4 listens. It's a very listenable record, perhaps moreso than any other disc in their catalog. The boys are trying on several different styles here, and unlike in the past (particularly on Maroon and Born on a Pirate Ship), it actually seems to work here. Power pop ("Maybe Katie"), mournful ballads ("War On Drugs"), acoustic torch and twang ("Have You Seen My Love?"), 70's soft rock (my top pick of the litter, "Take It Outside"), and something I like to refer to as polka tango (on "Upside Down")--this record slips into many outfits, and looks pretty good in all of them. Also fun to hear are the little details thrown into more traditional BNL sounds, like a splash of "ballroom jazz" and a lullabye melody in "Next Time". Not the place to start if you're looking to get acquainted with the band, but definitely a nice pickup for seasoned listeners. A little bit for everyone I love the mix of sounds, from "Shopping"'s eighties flashback Go-Gos style to "For You"'s rockabilly-folksy feel. This CD is a great addition to BNL's music. "Have You Seen My Love?" reminds me of an early Beatles era tune. Of course there's "Another Postcard". . . the list just keeps going. A must for any BNL fan. Did I mention "Celebrity"? Another fave. You can see a complete list of all Barenaked Ladies discography, or go back to the Barenaked Ladies tabs