Barenaked Ladies: "All in Good Time" Music Review

Music Review

Barenaked Ladies: "All in Good Time"

By our guest blogger, Megan O'Malley

The Barenaked Ladies are a band of my youth. In 20 years, when I am driving my kids around in my minivan listening to the oldies station, “One Week” will come on the air and I can reminisce about how cool I was while the children roll their eyes. Silly, thoughtful and occasionally poignant, the Barenaked Ladies are one of those bands that haven’t necessarily come far musically, but they have managed to create a sound that brings us in and keeps their fans listening. Their newest release, “All in Good Time,” has an older, more mature sound, but still keeps the styles and melodies that made them such a good band in the first place.

“All in Good Time” starts off with a ballad, “You Run Away.” It has a Snow Patrol “Chasing Cars” feel to it--as a whole, the song is just okay. The album gets better from here, though. “Summertime” has a strong guitar riff that feels as if it would be more at home in a White Stripes song. It’s good though--that guitar riff shows growth as a group. Eventually, the band gets into their well-worn ways with songs like “4 seconds” and “Ordinary.” The latter is the Barenaked Ladies at their best--they have a way about them that gives their music a simple and sincere sound much like the track “Brian Wilson.” The album falters a bit with “I Saw It.” Reminiscent of the “Old Apartment,” the song doesn’t grasp the emotional feel it is trying to achieve.

The Barenaked Ladies album “All in Good Time” is catchy and fun, but the songs don’t stand out like they did in the group’s heyday. Thankfully, instead of simply recreating their previous successes, they have continued to grow and progress with the music. The style might the same, but the Barenaked Ladies definitely have a more mature sound. While they don’t reach the heights of they did in the mid-'90s with this album, it still manages to keep established fans happy. These guys are a feel-good band--they make music that people like. Even though their sound hasn’t progressed musically much in the past 20 years, they have grown up a bit and “All in Good Time” reflects that.