Barenaked Ladies Albums (12)
What The Critics Say
The first full-length children's album by Canadian pop stalwarts Barenaked Ladies, Snacktime! reveals what is both enchanting and a little bit irritating about the often witty, sometimes silly, and usually melodically catchy pop band. Musically, all the Barenaked touchstones are here: '70s singer/songwriter, AM pop, indie rock, folk, alt-rock, and even some quirky electronic-based romps. In that sense, the album plays like most of the band's catalog, with each bandmember adding a composition to the mix. The difference here is in the lyrical content, which is obviously aimed at and inspired by kids. But rather than simply target kids of today, Barenaked Ladies have crafted a children's pop album inspired by their own '70s/'80s childhoods. Accordingly, listeners gets tracks like "The Ninjas," a popular and kitschy topic among Gen-Xers (due largely to the abundance of '80s ninja movies), turned here into a kind of fairy tale about sneaky and deadly nighttime visitors. Similarly, the loopy wordplay song "Raisins" finds vocalist Ed Robertson wondering whether "the Parthenon's in Greece/Or was it in Grease 2?" But rather than merely calling out retro-pop culture themes, songs like the giddy "Eraser" and the thoughtful "Canadian Snacktime Trilogy" bring to mind a time when kids were more likely to spend afternoons with crayons and Elmer's Glue than with computers and the Internet. It's also reminiscent of a time when bubblegum pop was the sound of kids' music, and tracks like "Vegetable Town," "'Drawing," and "Humungous Tree" bring to mind -- at least lyrically if not specifically musically -- the fantastical, bittersweet, pastry-laden landscapes of the Banana Splits and the Wombles. Admittedly, for all the pleasant and hummable tracks on Snacktime! there are conversely a few ear-grating numbers like the hyperactive rawk of "Allergies" and the quirky but static reggae of "What a Wild Tune," which may elicit enthusiasm from the PB&J set while acting as a kind of musical torture technique on parents. That said, cuts like the sunny and melodic "'Pollywog in a Bog," the airy and euphoric "Louis Loon," and the cinematic album closer "Here Come the Geese" bring to mind well-earned comparisons to Todd Rundgren, XTC, and the Flaming Lips, and are easily some of the best pop tracks, let alone children's songs, Barenaked Ladies have ever recorded. ~ Matt Collar, All Music Guide
'Talk to the Hand: Live in Michigan'
Release Date 11/6/2007
Tracks 16
Label Shout! Factory
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What The Critics Say
Talk to the Hand: Live in Michigan -- clever title, that -- is a DVD/CD package that captures the Barenaked Ladies' concert at the DTE Energy Theatre (aka, the former Pine Knob) from June 2007. This isn't their first live DVD or first live CD, suggesting that the group has a dedicated fan base that will happily hear another live release from them, and that's frankly who will find this perfectly professional set appealing. Not that this is bad, as the band is tight and the production is crystalline, but the band is playing directly to an adoring audience, thereby keeping out anybody who might have a passing interest in the band. But for that audience -- the kind that will like the acoustic versions of "For You" and "Be My Yoko Ono" -- this is surely a good time, although it may be a time that's better had on video than CD, as this can just fade into the background if it's heard as a straight-up album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Barenaked Ladies Are Me'
Release Date 9/12/2006
Tracks 13
Label Desperation
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What The Critics Say
Continuing in the mature, reflective vein of 2003's Everything to Everyone, the Barenaked Ladies' seventh studio album Barenaked Ladies Are Me features more of the band's trademark wit and melodic folk-rock. Never straying too far afield from the formula they've been using ever since their breakthrough 1998 album Stunt, Barenaked Ladies are true torchbearers for the post-R.E.M., post-Smiths sound that shares much in common with such bands as Beautiful South, They Might Be Giants and even Sloan. Once again, lead vocal duties are largely split between Steven Page and Ed Robertson although both pianist/guitarist Kevin Hearn and bassist Jim Creeggan take the lead here on their original tunes "Vanishing" and "Peterborogh and the Kawarthas," respectively. Interestingly, these tracks, along with Hearn's "Sound Of Your Voice", are some of the best on the album with both musicians displaying a true knack for writing heartfelt, literate and tuneful songs about leaving those you love, whether they are your wife or young son. Elsewhere, the band's gift for mixing the humorous and the poignant is evident on such eminently catchy tracks as "Bank Job," "Bull in a China Shop'," and "Rule the World with Love." For a band 16 years into its career, it's great to hear an album so full of sparkling, positive-minded songcraft and thoughtful revelations. ~ Matt Collar, All Music Guide
'Barenaked for the Holidays'
Release Date 10/4/2004
Tracks 20
Label Nettwerk
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What The Critics Say
It's probably safe to say that fans of Barenaked Ladies have never found a holiday album to suit their tastes until now, when the notoriously quirky Canadian quintet released Barenaked for the Holidays. This will likely satisfy that portion of their audience (however large or small it is) that has wanted a holiday album delivered with that patented blend of jokiness and sentiment that's been the group's stock-in-trade. That may give the inaccurate impression that this album has been tossed off, which is hardly the case. The arrangements are nimble and largely clever, even when the group goes for an easy joke, as on the Casio-driven bossa nova instrumental revamp of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Admirably, the group doesn't rely solely on traditional carols, they contribute six originals to the mix; some, like "Green Christmas," are quite good, while others, like "Elf's Lament," are too jokey, but that may not bother the diehards all that much. Even more admirably, this is one of the few holiday albums that is pretty evenly divided between Christmas and Hanukkah songs, which isn't just nicely PC, but gives the album both musical and topical variety, making it a little more interesting and distinctive than the average holiday record. Still, whether you like the album or not boils down to this: do you find it funny when a slow, sincere version of "Jingle Bells" breaks into a jocular parody with the classic "Jingle bells/Batman smells/Robin laid an egg" lyric halfway through the song, and if you do, do you like the sentimental beginning as much as the silly conclusion? If so, Barenaked for the Holidays is for you. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Everything to Everyone'
Release Date 10/21/2003
Tracks 17
Label Reprise
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What The Critics Say
Barenaked Ladies took their time in following up their almost commercial flop Maroon. Having Don Was in the production seat wasn't enough to flesh out Barenaked Ladies' bright musical humor, although "Pinch Me" and "Falling for the First Time" were moderate radio hits. Opting to shake things up (as much as they can for being jokesters), Barenaked Ladies hooked up with Ron Aniello (Guster, Lifehouse, Loudermilk) three years later for Everything to Everyone. A dynamic mix of the band's special branded wit and bittersweet reflections, Barenaked Ladies show their age on their fifth release. Don't fret -- growing up isn't easy to do, but some members of the band are daddies and BNL crafted a set of songs in a post-September 11th society. Instead of mocking themselves and refraining from harshly criticizing the arena that's made them popular, BNL subtlety ridicules corporate excess. If the title itself doesn't give that away, songs like "Celebrity" and the techno-inflected "Shopping" will. Those smart enough to get the slyness hiding inside the joke will be amused by Everything to Everyone and the poignant lyrics for which Steven Page and Ed Robertson are known. "War on Drugs" is a somber reflection and "Next Time" is that second chance you're always hoping will be there. Everything to Everyone is probably Barenaked Ladies' most honest album -- always touching, but serious and completely open for the first time in their 15-year career. Several artists have made attempts to spoof the celebrity-obsessed world in which we live, but Barenaked Ladies succeed in keeping things simple. Sure, their classic charm will forever be a part of them, but wising up to make a point is what's real. If you can laugh in the process, all the better. [A CD/DVD edition with special packaging and artwork is also available. The DVD, which allows the listener to hear the album in surround sound, includes behind-the-scenes material from the studio, 11 acoustic songs, and five Internet bonus clips.] ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Canada's favorite musical comics the Barenaked Ladies didn't get distressed by the mainstream success of their fifth album, 1998's Stunt. The single "One Week" catapulted the five-piece into the homes of TRL diehards and their self-defined cheeky pop sound captured pop music at its finest. They had only been crafting their freewheeling musical perfection since their inception in the late '80s, so the Barenaked Ladies were about due. Two years later, the boys joined forces with producer Don Was (Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Iggy Pop, Rolling Stones) and delivered yet another merry-making batch of pop songs on Maroon. Ed Robertson and Steven Page split vocal duties and their sparkling honesty of musicianship and friendship once again makes for a spherical delight of humor and grandeur. Barenaked Ladies might not have been distracted by their previous accolades, but Maroon hints at the band's hesitation to refrain from repetition. The lyrical rhymes are typically amusing and the musicianship is colorful and quirky, but first single "Pinch Me" doesn't feel entirely comfortable. A conservative BNL listener would be able to catch the trickling acoustics and thumping basslines, but its head-bopping, toe-tapping excitement is hauntingly similar. But never despair, Maroon does indicate the band's impeccable musical brightness and playful creativity, specifically on songs such as "Falling for the First Time" and "Conventioneers." They toy around with adult responsibility and the fear of conflict with such attractive wit, and the messages are right on. And aside from being intelligently impressive, they twist and turn inside their musical sauciness to pluck at jaunty Americana sounds ("Baby Seat") and frilly bossa nova ("Sell, Sell, Sell"). Barenaked Ladies mold blushing harmonies with loopy guitar hooks -- Maroon is simply charming. It's not outstanding, but the Barenaked Ladies do keep their self-defined whimsicality top-notch. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
By trying to mask their smart-ass humor in a big pop production, the Barenaked Ladies attempt to set themselves up for the big crossover that they nearly achieved with such past singles as "Be My Yoko Ono" and "Brian Wilson." Nothing on Stunt, the group's fourth studio album, is so clearly jokey (although "Alcohol" comes close), but they still rely on clever satire. That may irritate some listeners who would otherwise be won over by the group's increased musical skill. Never before has the band been able to pull off so many different styles, from jangly pop and alt-country to loungy bossa nova, so well. Musically, it could convince the doubters who have written off Barenaked Ladies as novelty pranksters, but the lyrics still will stand in the way of trad-rockers predisposed to this style of music. Of course, listeners who are a little less uptight will find Stunt to be a fine collegiate party record and one of the best albums the Barenaked Ladies have released. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
As if to acknowledge that Barenaked Ladies' third album, 1996's Born on a Pirate Ship, was a blunder that wouldn't do much to advance the Canadian group's U.S. image, Reprise Records quickly followed it up with the live set Rock Spectacle. This was a wise move, as years of nearly nonstop touring had helped the group transform from a jokey folk-rock group into a talented pop group with both musical chops and stage presence to burn. Though the album doesn't include much of what makes Barenaked Ladies such a unique live act, singer-guitarists Steven Page and Ed Robertson are masters of improvisational humor, and a good chunk of any Barenaked Ladies show is given to often hilarious extemporaneous bits -- it certainly makes the point that the group is an underrated source of pure pop delights. This album's superior live take of 1992's "Brian Wilson" became Barenaked Ladies' first U.S. radio hit, setting the stage for the across-the-board success of 1998's excellent Stunt. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
'Born on a Pirate Ship'
Release Date 3/19/1996
Tracks 14
Label Reprise
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Barenaked Ladies' third album, Born on a Pirate Ship, was recorded during a period of personnel instability and misgivings over the band's artistic direction. The Toronto group attempts humor in the manner of 1992's Gordon and include reworked versions of early material like "Shoe Box," which had originally appeared on the band's 1990 demo. The wistful "The Old Apartment" and the tender Robertson ballad "When I Fall" further develop the group's ability to wring tenderness and angst out of unexpected situations. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
