Search - Barenaked Ladies :: Everything to Everyone

Janis L. from TIBURON, CA
Reviewed on 9/11/2006...

We love the Ladies!!!

"Everything" is Excellent

John | 11/15/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"OK now after 'Gordon' the Barenaked Ladies took a long time to get back on track. Don't get me wrong, 'Maybe You Should Drive' may be one of their best albums, and 'Born on A Pirate Ship' is remarkable as well, but neither album got the band where they wanted to go. 'Stunt' got them back on tack, followed by 'Maroon', enough to get them to a Greatest Hits record. Now, three years after 'Maroon', and eleven years and four albums after 'Gordon', the Barenaked Ladies may have recorded their best album yet, and here's why:Celebrity (9/10)- a great way to start the album in my opinion, serious yet humorous at points. this is a great way to show what most of the songs on the album are likeMaybe Katie (10/10) - best song on the album? possibly. same deal as 'Celebrity,' it is both serious and humorous, and has a catchy tune and strong chorus. ten/ten, nice job.Another Postcard (8/10) - things were going well, but this song i just don't get. the problem that BNL has is that their label chooses the dumbest singles. i think it's a funny song, so it is quite entertaining, and the beat is quite catchy. decent song, but they could do better, and they did.Next Time (9/10) - a perfect song to follow 'Another Postcard' because of the line: you can always get it right next time". indeed they did, and thank god the album doesn't have 14 Postcards in it, or 'Everything' wouldn't be anything but decentFor You (8/10)- not as good as Next Time, but good nonetheless. not much to say except it won't be on the repeat button too much, even though it beats 'Another Postcard.'Shopping (9/10) - catchy tune, funny lyrics = good BNL songTesting 1,2,3 (10/10) - one of the best on the album. serious, classy, and funny lyrics. i'm lovin this oneUpside Down (9/10) - i like the background especially, and the lyrics and vocals are superb. the album seems to keep going uphill.War on Drugs(10/10) - dark, deep, mysterious, serious. those four words don't usually fit with BNL, but this song is nothing short of stellar.Aluminum (9/10) - not much to say. sounds like a lot of their usual stuff, but i still seem to enjoy it.Unfinished (9/10) - maybe it was unfinished, because it could be better. i see so much potential in this song, especially if they could fix the chorus.Second Best (10/10) - the opening lines make this song worth the whole CD: "everything's a lie. we're all gonna die. before we say goodbye let's attack" GREAT song.Take it Outside (8/10) - i've given three Eights so far, and i think this one is more of an 8.5 of 8.6, but that's not what i do here. still a good song, but needs work.Have You Seen my Love? (7/10) - not a bad way to end an album, if you're trying to put me to sleep. i like everything BNL does, but this is just my all-time least favorite. 7 isn't bad for my least favorite song though ; )totals: 125/140 = 8.9/10 on aaverage"

"The past'll be presented, recast and reinvented.."

spiral_mind | Pennsylvania | 12/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You could almost say that a pop band over a decade old has no right to be releasing such a strong and [shudder] mature album as Everything to Everyone. Or you could just be glad they're still capable of doing what they do so well. After all it's only a small step from silly to cartoonish, or witty to overblown, or sugary/catchy to fluffy. BNL have assembled one of the most impressive pop catalogues around not only by having a knack for funny radio-friendly singalongs, but by usually walking that line without tipping too far to the wrong side. The lyrics are clever and often humorous, but only cross into self-parody if it's intentional. They can be serious and they can be wacky.. but most of all they can laugh at themselves right along with the rest of us.



After their last two offerings Maroon and Stunt (which are also mostly strong picks) the Ladies put a good helping of time and effort into E2E, and it shows. The result is that intriguing rarity: a strong pop record that benefits from being grown over time with good attention to detail. It's got enough hooks and irresistible choruses that it'll snag your ears right away, but there's a freshness & staying power underneath the hummability. The usual goofiness that's been a BNL trademark since "If I Had $1000000" coexists nicely with the likes of "War on Drugs" and "Have You Seen My Love," which are lovely ballads almost as simple and honest as you could ask for.. a skillful balance that only the best pop (think Ben Folds or Kevin Gilbert) achieves.



The sound is nicely varied without losing the sense of fun. "Another Postcard" is a semi-fast chant that's almost half rap (all the more silly considering that such lyrics aren't usually about, say, chimps in swimsuits). "Upside Down" is driven by a sinuous middle-eastern melody on accordion, which would be nutty enough to fit the absurdist lyrics even if they didn't toss in some screwy odd time changes. "For You" has a tinge of country; "Next Time" would almost be a sweet 60s-style waltz if the words weren't so cynical; "Shopping" shoots directly for the realm of mindless synth/techno and then overshoots, becoming something even more ridiculous. And for that song it's precisely what belongs.



Any one of their last three offerings is a great choice, whether you're new to the band or not, but I say this is the pick of the bunch. Who knew maturity could still be so much fun?"