Customer Reviews

Friction Baby(Enhan CD)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I found this CD for $2 in my favourite record store and got purely on the basis of Desperately Wanting. As I listened to it, I instantly fell in love with nearly all the songs, particularly King of New Orleans and Still Life with Cooley. It does not disappoint.

This is my favorite BTE cd, I have them all. Track for track I love the energy of this album. It has a great mix of slow, sad songs to more upbeat, hardrockin' songs. The great thing about this sophomore effort is that it is completely different from their first release. Each cd after this one is very different too. A band with so much range and the talent to back it up is definitely one to check out. If you only own one BTE cd, I would recommend this one. Actually I would recommend them all. Get them all here on Amazon...I am sure there is a good 'used' price.

Better Than Ezra albums tend to be frustrating because, I suppose like too many other albums out there, they are comprised of about a half of great, catchy, sing-along songs and a half of throwaways. For a band that has some terrific songs in their catalog, it's especially frustrating because you know they can do better. Someday a BTE best-of collection is going to be a permanent fixture in my CD player.

Until that day arrives, the album I'll listen to most often is Friction Baby because it has, per capita, the highest percentage of quality music of their catalog. Most of the songs are instant classics - my favorites are "King of New Orleans", "Normal Town", and "Desperately Wanting". I'm not too much of a grunge fan but when its melodic, it makes a great sound and the production on this album is top notch. Whereas Deluxe had some good stuff but fell apart after the first five or six tracks, and How Does Your Garden Grow and Closer have some very good tunes and interesting experiments, for flat-out solid rock and roll I'll take Friction Baby.

Better Than Ezra deserve a lot of credit. Why? Because they work. Hard. When I saw them in 2001 I had the impression that it could have been their first time on the road, they seemed so enthusiastic and grateful that their job is to rock out every night. This, their first major release and second album overall, is moodier and more erratic, stylistically, than the more consistent country-rock of Deluxe. The lyrics are a shade darker, the guitars are louder and grittier, and the whole impact is cranked up a notch. Considering this album came out in 1996, you can tell that they were influenced by what was going on around them in the music world. Still, they managed to display flexibility, a willingness to change with the times, yet still stubbornly original enough to stand on their own two feet. A rare compromise in mainstream music, and another reason why I think Better Than Ezra are the best pop band ever.

The material is deceptively layered. A first listen might give the impression that some songs were meant to be instant hits while others are simply filler. But further listens will reveal that some songs take multiple listens before their beauty is revealed. Songs like "Long Lost" and "Hung the Moon," I didn't understand until several years after I'd had the album. Every time you think you've uncovered everything there is here, something else comes to light. This album stays fresh through the test of time and has a stunningly high replay value - I can't count how many times I've listened through and not been bored. This is the album where Kevin and the boys made their declaration: they were here to stay. And they are still here.

The good thing about this cd is that every song on this cd rocks! Better Than Ezra is my all time favorite band! This is their very best cd. "Rewind" is a song about the past, about how you should be able to rewind events and play them over and over again in your mind. You will love this cd. Some songs are heavy, but tasteful like "King of New Orleans" and "Return of the Post Moderns". If you like alternative rock, you will love this album. Trust me on this one. Just buy it!

Thanks,
Star*

Well, this is a CD which is average in all meanings. The melodies and lyrics are okay, but somehow theres something missing. The very special thing that makes you say "I love this album".
"King of New Orleans" is a good opener...but after that there isnt much happening.
The main reason why you should buy the album is "WWOZ", the (only real) highlight on "Friction, Baby".

The great thing about Better Than Ezra is that they have their own distinct sound that is fresh and original. Im not really sure whatever happened to this band but this is one of those CD's I listen to once in a blue moon and it never fails to bring a smile to my face.

There weren't that many radio hits from this CD (Desperately Wanting and King Of New Orleans) but the whole album is solid. The songs are pretty random and there is no theme to the album but BTE's always manages to mix meaningfull lyrics with snazzy guitar riffs. Return of the Post Moderns is a silly song that is one of my favorites from the record. Rewind is pretty as well and the album ends strong unlike Delux, their previous effort.

Bottom Line: worth picking up if you see this in a used bin (which you usually do) Suffers from AIO syndrome- Anoying If Overplayed.

You have to wonder a little how bands like BTE toil in such obscurity, how they almost never come to YOUR town, how only college radio stations play these amazingly chewy morsels of pop songcraft. You have to wonder how this kind of music comes out of Louisiana, how these three guys can be so heavy ( Long Lost ) and so funky hip ( Normal Town ). They have such great musical taste, sounding a bit like Prefab Sprout at one turn and like a harder edged Dave Matthews at another. This is mainstream rock at its best, mining the janglepop vein but trading in a currency that is fresh and engaging.

I liked BTE when I first heard them last year, and since then they have become one of my favorite bands.Each song has its own sound, and the lyrics actually have some meaning (unlike most of todays music), although I wish they would print them in the booklet. If I had to pick my favorite songs I think they would be "Deperately Wanting" and "Return of the Post Moderns", but they are all so fantastic!
I would not classify them as "Pop" because technically that means they are a huge hit, popular, and I've only ever heard one or two of their songs on the radio. But they are NOT some lousy one hit wonder.If you like this cd you will end up buying the rest.

You have to wonder a little how bands like BTE toil in such obscurity, how they almost never come to YOUR town, how only college radio stations play these amazingly chewy morsels of pop songcraft. You have to wonder how this kind of music comes out of Louisiana, how these three guys can be so heavy ( Long Lost ) and so funky hip ( Normal Town ). They have such great musical taste, sounding a bit like Prefab Sprout at one turn and like a harder edged Dave Matthews at another. This is mainstream rock at its best, mining the janglepop vein but trading in a currency that is fresh and engaging.