Better Than Ezra Albums (7)
'Plays Paper Empire'
Release Date 5/12/2009
Tracks 12
Label Mega Force
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What The Critics Say
If Better Than Ezra can be called anything, it's survivors. Never the flashiest group among the legions of the first wave of post-grunge rockers, they have wound up being perhaps the sturdiest, working steadily with little regard for shifting fashions and trends. Plays Paper Empire is perhaps the strongest evidence that all that hard work pays off, their sturdiest collection of humble rockers and assured ballads yet. Not that Plays Paper Empire is without a wrinkle or two -- even if the tight electronic rhythms of "Nightclubbing" and vocoder on "Hell No!" are meant ironically, they amount to stiff, embarrassing stumbles -- but the group displays a good deal of measured songcraft, whether it's in the peppy singalong "All In" or the sugary pop rush of "Black Light," or the preponderance of ballads and midtempo, radio-ready rock that make up the rest of the album. Again, there's not much that's flashy here, but that's to Better Than Ezra's benefit, as they wind up with a set of solid mainstream rock, the kind which isn't made much in the last days of the 2009s, the kind that proves that there's something to be said for being a workhorse instead of a show horse. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With the rather cryptically titled Before the Robots, Better Than Ezra settles down into a comfortable adult pop groove, no longer dabbling in the hip-hop and electronica that has surfaced on every album since 1997's How Does Your Garden Grow? In its place is a surprisingly soulful undercurrent that surfaces on such laid-back highlights as "Daylight" and "It's Only Natural." Instead of pointing Better Than Ezra in a new direction, these soulful pop tunes are used as accents on a collection of straight-ahead, anthemic, songwriter-driven rock. While there are still some snarls of electric guitars, Before the Robots is largely a meditative work, built on acoustic guitars; even when it hits hard and gets loud, it's with layers of vocal harmonies, keyboards, and guitars creating a rush of sound, emphasizing the emotional thrust of songwriter Kevin Griffin's songs. There are some light moments here -- including the supremely silly but infectious "Juicy," where Griffin struts a rarely heard falsetto over a funky vamp -- but the overall tone of the record drives from the melancholy, vaguely nostalgic vibe of such songs as "A Lifetime," "American Dream," and "Our Finest Year." These reflective sentiments add weight to Better Than Ezra's earnest rock, and help make Before the Robots one of the group's sturdiest, most satisfying albums. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Live at the House of Blues New Orleans'
Release Date 9/28/2004
Tracks 17
Label Sanctuary
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What The Critics Say
Better Than Ezra will be forever tied to the 1990s. The decade embraced Kevin Griffin's elastic vocals and his band's workmanlike blend of jangle chords and vague lyrical disaffection. They couldn't keep the hits alive post-Y2K, but Better Than Ezra has remained a popular club act, as Live at the House of Blues New Orleans proves. Since 2001's decent Closer, the band has settled into the House of Blues tour circuit, giving fans and casual listeners their fix of '90s flavor with hits like "Good" and "Rosealia." This live set captures BTE at just such a HOB gig, recorded in their hometown of New Orleans in August 2003. It's as passably rousing as you'd expect, with Griffin's voice translating well to the live environment and plenty of inspiration in his guitar playing and the bass work of Tom Drummond. The melodic urgency of "In the Blood" -- one of their best songs from back then -- is still vital, and the band even injects a little unexpected life into the somewhat embarrassing hip-hop/Beck patois of the Closer-era tracks "Extra Ordinary" and "Rolling." Griffin won't win any awards in the stage banter department, but fans will enjoy that the patter's left in here. And it's too bad "Desperately"'s melodic stridency is expanded to a bloated eight minutes, because the song's chorus still kicks. But those are minor issues on a set that's a nice thank-you to listeners who've stuck with Better Than Ezra for over ten years. Those same fans will also note Live at the House of Blues New Orleans' inclusion of two new Ezra studio recordings, "Cold Year" and "Stall." [The album was also released in a DVD version.] ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Better Than Ezra was always a staunchly classicist band, raised on the college rock of the '80s and turning out a series of earnest records that paid homage to that sound but were released in the post-grunge era. They had more success than most post-grungers since they were classicists dressed up in heavy sincerity, but they had hooks, best illustrated on the breakthrough "Good" and the yearning "Desperately Wanting." But as the '90s drew to a close, most guitar bands of the mid-'90s were hit hard by shifting tastes and changing fashions, leaving the group out in the cold along with many of their peers. BTE regrouped on a new label, Beyond, turning out Closer in 2001. In one sense, time treated the group well, since they simply became better at their craft. Kevin Griffin's songwriting is easier, rarely suffering from the strained sincerity that dragged down many of their albums. This time around, his melodic sense is sharper -- not just on rockers, but on ballads -- and his songs are given excellent treatment by a muscular band, presented in a supple production by Brad Wood. If there is a problem with the record, it's because Closer is occasionally constrained by its time, particularly on the neo-hip-hop of two tracks featuring DJ Swamp (though "Rolling," featuring Toddy, is a highlight). These aren't necessarily bad -- and the single "Extra Ordinary" is catchy, despite Griffin's rap -- but they do give the album an appearance of trying too hard, when this really is the most natural and best record they've ever made. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'How Does Your Garden Grow?'
Release Date 8/25/1998
Tracks 14
Label Elektra/Asylum
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What The Critics Say
Rightly suspecting that the days of grunge and alt-rock were finished in the late '90s, Better Than Ezra wisely decided to revamp their trademark post-grunge sound for their third album, How Does Your Garden Grow? That they chose to revamp in the most predictable way -- mainly electronica and trip-hop, but with a touch of space rock and Brit-pop on the side -- may mean they're not innovators, but it does suggest that they are canny cultural watchers, and they turn out to be as adept in fusing all these elements together as they were in blending jangle pop and grunge. That may mean that Garden doesn't have the thrill of discovery anywhere in its grooves, but it's nevertheless well crafted and smartly performed. It also happens to boast the best set of songs that Kevin Griffin and company have yet written, even if there are a couple of tracks that sink under the weight of their own ambitions. Still, the new ambition in the music (even if it isn't adventurous) and the catchier, more emotional songwriting is enough to elevate How Does Your Garden Grow? to the status of Better Than Ezra's best album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On their second album, Friction, Baby, Better Than Ezra becomes a bit more ambitious than they were with their debut album, Deluxe. Lead singer Kevin Griffin's lyrics are more detailed and brooding, moving the band closer to their doom-laden post-grunge contemporaries. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
