Their best yet (Everything To Everyone - Barenaked Ladies)

Member Name: Wezzo

Product:	Everything To Everyone - Barenaked Ladies
Date:	14/07/07 (47 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Wide range of styles; some of BNL's finest songwriting to date

Disadvantages: A couple of tracks too long, perhaps?

The Barenaked Ladies have been unfairly maligned by the mainstream music press in recent years. Remembered by many as nothing more than "that novelty band who did 'One Week'", 'Everything to Everyone' - the band's sixth full-length studio album, and perhaps their most consistent to date - should prove more than sufficient to dissuade any such preconceptions.

The band cover all manner of territory here; from the melancholy balladry of "Next Time" and "Take It Outside" to the biting cynicism of techno-pop gem "Shopping" and upbeat, catchy ode to older women "Maybe Katie" - to wit: "just because her youth is fading / doesn't mean she's not worth dating".

Opening track "Celebrity" is among the Ladies' best to date, a downbeat tune laced with venomous sentiment toward the celebrity culture of the Western world in the 21st Century; while "War on Drugs" is perhaps the first "don't do drugs!" song ever penned that doesn't come off as empty hypocrisy.

The album is not entirely successful - "Aluminium" and "Have You Seen My Love?"'s only purpose seems to be to extend the runtime - but overall "Everything to Everyone" is an excellent effort; and while it may not be everything to everyone, there's undoubtedly at least something for everyone here.

Summary: A standout collection of songs