Review-Better Than Ezra-Paper Empire

The alt-rockers from New Orleans are back. They are survivors, having endured 20 years in the music business with tremendous regional success but only a brief flirtation with national acclaim back in the alt-rock playground heyday of the early nineties. BTE has hardly been prolific..."Paper Empire" is BTE's sixth studio effort. This has actually worked in this band's favor-allowing demand to build before a new album hits the streets.

Kevin Griffin's unique voice still draws you in and his saccharine sweet melodies and simple, readily accesible lyrical themes make this album immediately identifiable as Better Than Ezra. Since I owned and enjoyed "How Does Your Garden Grow" back in the nineties I can't help but get a little nostalgic when I hear these guys. This album occasionally re-creates the magic of "How Does Your Garden Grow," but mostly continues the pop accessibility of "Before the Robots," BTE's last album (gasp!) four years ago.

There is plenty of dynamic range here, seemingly capturing the best of everything Better than Ezra has done before. We have the anthemic opener "Absolutely Still," the New-Wave-esque "Nightclubbing," the pepped up singalong of "All In," the sugary pop of "Black Light" and the subdued ballad "I Just Knew." It mostly works. This is a solid mainstream rock album of mid tempo rockers and ballads without much flashiness...this is hard to find in a major label release in 2009..and makes this album all the more appealing. It isn't ground breaking...but it is good music.

Better Than Ezra-Paper Empire 3-1/2 out of 5