The 1990s was an era filled with fantastic Alternative Rock offerings that dominated the radio. Among the long list of bands to raise to popularity during the era was the New Orleans, Louisiana band Better Than Ezra. Originally formed in 1988, Better Than Ezra broke into the mainstream with their 1993 smash hit “Good” from the platinum debut Deluxe. Led by lead vocalist/guitarist Kevin Griffin and bassist/vocalist Tom Drummond, Better than Ezra added Michael Jerome on drums in 2009 and guitarist/keyboardist James Arthur Payne in 1997. Staying active touring, the band has had a charted album with each of their eight studio albums, including their 2014 effort, All Together Now. Released via their new label The End Records, All Together Now was produced by Tony Hoffer (The Kooks, Silversun Pickups) and marks a change in direction for the veteran band.
Opener “Crazy Lucky” sets the stage for the rest of the album with light acoustic guitars, bouncy electric guitars, and sappy lyrics about being lucky in love. “Gonna Get Better” follows, and the band talks about someone “blowin’ up my phone,” after mentioning Google in the opener, clearly intending to reach a younger audience. Again, the band incorporates a strong acoustic guitar line with the vocals up front in the mix, bringing a simple, straight-forward song that will play well on adult FM radio. If fans close their eyes and listen to the first five seconds of “Undeniable,” they will swear the pounding piano sounds vaguely familiar to Mary J. Blige’s “Let’s Get It Started.” The song turns into a soul-inflected number, showcasing Griffin’s unique voice and the bands ability for concise, pressing arrangements and tasteful harmonies. The guitars that are layered over the piano are escalated at the perfect time during the song as they never interfere with Griffins excellent R&B styled delivery. “Insane” finds Better Than Ezra letting the listener know the band listened to plenty of Punk Rock in their youth as they utilize the speed of the genre, put their own twist on it – instead of singing about beating the man, they sing about infidelity and pregnant brides.
“The Great Unknown” mixes a hip-hop drumbeat with country-tinged electric guitars for a laid-back jaunt about a girl going on a drug-induced journey to Burning Man in an effort to ditch her boring life and find herself. Tom Petty has clearly influenced the band, and here they not only repeat the phrase “into the great unknown,” a homage to Petty’s 1991 album Into The Great Wide Open, they mention him by name in the lyrics. “Before You” is a strong ballad with robust piano, gently delivered lyrics and strings as Griffin tells the tale of a person completely lost prior to finding their love. Meanwhile, “Dollar Sign” sounds like the best of Sublime if they were singing about the trials and tribulations of keeping up with the Jones’. With this track, Better Than Ezra displays their propensity for playing upbeat Ska music, pulling out all the stops as the track features scratching and backing vocals pulled from Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love.” Here the band lets loose and is clearly having some fun. Which leads to album closer “Shut Up and Dance,” a mark of pure pop perfection. Featuring a simple melody, plenty of snare drums, and an escalating chorus, the song goes non-stop for three minutes. This is the perfect cherry on top of the sugary sweet sundae that is All Together Now.
All Together Now is a stark departure from the bands previous output as they have embraced a much more pop-oriented sound compared to their previous releases, which in the past have featured steady doses of post-grunge alt-rock. Here, for the most part, the band eschews this style for an FM radio friendly assortment of catchy pop numbers. There are no track cracks the four minute mark, no overblown solos, and no wasted space. Better Than Ezra has clearly gone in a new direction here, and have done so deftly, producing an irresistible, fun, upbeat collection of danceable pop music. CrypticRock gives All Together Now 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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