Barenaked Ladies
Album: All in Good Time
Label: Records/EMI
Rating: ***
Anybody who actually thought the Barenaked Ladies would be as good a band without Steven Page was simply dreaming. Page was half the sound, half the spirit, half of everything Barenaked. This is not to say the current four-piece is only half the band that we grew to know and love. The one thing nice about Page’s departure is that it has pushed the songwriting talents of Jimmy Creegan (I Saw It) and Kevin Hearn (Another Heartbreak) more to the front. Still they are no match for Page’s soaring vocals. In reality, this is now Ed Robertson’s band. His opening single You Run Away, written directly at his old friend Page, is the album’s strongest track. It’s a great track, showing an unfamiliar dark side of Robertson. Unfortunately, nothing else on the CD has the same impact.
