Search - Better Than Ezra :: Before the Robots

I have seen the light!

George Dionne | Cape Cod, MA | 06/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Good

"Burned" is defined by driving fuzzy riffs and power chord accents. The catchy chorus will have you singing along in no time. I'm not that big a fan of falsetto vocals, but the way that vocalist Kevin Griffin uses them on "Daylight" has caused me to re-evaluate my stance on the matter. He's backed by a keyboard and drum dominant rhythm section. The lyrics to "Lifetime" are quite clever. While it leans toward the subject of lost love, it really focuses on how much a three minute song can mean shared with the right company. Kevin's vocals and his acoustic guitar backing are both seductive as he moves in on his prey on "It's Only Natural". The song's title more that clears up what it's about.



I've said it once and I'll say it again; you can't go wrong with a `whoo-hoo' song. Unfortunately for the characters in "American Dream", things have gone very wrong. I think in some way we can all relate to their issues. "Our Last Night" is a beautiful and emotional power ballad led by melodic vocals, keyboard tones, and clean guitars. The twangy guitar licks of "A Southern Thing" help give it a .38 Special/Lynyrd Skynyrd feel. The vocal delivery is similar to the early 90s pop-rock song "Rock On" (from the movie Dream a Little Dream). Break out your bell-bottoms and platform shoes for "Juicy", because Griffin goes all Bee Gee's on us (I guess the Scissor Sisters for you young'uns). It has a great funk style riff and vocal hook in the chorus.



The Bad

Nothing



The Verdict

I was never really a fan of Better Than Ezra. I always thought they were another `what was in at the time' band. After listening to Before the Robots, I have seen the light. They proved to me that they are quite versatile and have a knack for writing catchy and well-written rock songs."

Before The Robots

Shari | Oviedo, FL USA | 06/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, they're back. Again. The band with the funny name, which just begs to be the punchline of a thousand jokes. The one that could be written off as a "one-hit wonder" for 1995's post-grunge smash "Good" - except that those in the know, know that's not true. After 17 years of of weathering just about every storm that can befall a group, several radio hits, and near-constant touring with sold-out shows, the group that's better than ever has released their seventh album. So what comes before the robots? Humanity of course. Songwriter/singer/guitarist Kevin Griffin offers up every side of the human condition, good and bad, while the rhythm section of bassist Tom Drummond and drummer Travis McNabb lay down the heartbeat underneath it all.



"Burned" kicks off the disk with pure power pop that belies the sadness and yearning within. "Daylight" continues the theme, but with the promise of optimism in the face of darkness that Griffin is a pro in conveying. If "A Lifetime" sounds familiar, yes, you've heard it before - it has been reworked since last appearing on 2001's Closer, but it's easy to forgive hearing once again this bittersweet celebration of life in the face of death wrapped up in the metaphor of a 3-1/2 minute R.E.M. song (it doesn't really matter "which" one - it's whatever song you want it to be!). While we're running the gamut of emotions, lust gets a brief nod with "It's Only Natural," which manages to be equal parts silly, sexy, and downright creepy.



Imagine U2 uniting with Radiohead. Add in some sincerity and humility, subtract all the music critics, and you may be left with "Overcome" - an absolutely stunning, haunting, aural layer cake that keeps promising to take you somewhere you've never been... Being human means being imperfect, though, and it never does seem to reach a satisfying conclusion, but the ride is amazing - slowly building until each band member seems to be wringing the life out of their respective instruments, including Griffin's pleading tenor. "Special" is yet another power-pop masterpiece with a killer hook and blistering guitar solos to match. "American Dream" sounds like it would be more at home on a Mellencamp or Petty CD, with overly-simple lyrics about single moms, crooked CEOs, and working at Denny's, but I dare you to try to forget the "woo-hoo's" and "yeah, yeah, yeah's" I didn't think you could. "Our Last Night" is about, well, the last night together of a pair of friends. It's a ballad, wave your lighters in the air, and prepare to wipe away a tear or two. "A Southern Thang" may seem to steal it's chorus from David Essex's "Rock On" and actually DOES steal a line from the Doobie Brother's "Black Water," but this is southern rock at its finest. Only three guys from Louisiana could get away with making a song about a pill-popping cop-killing felon on a crime spree that even your mama could love (here's a hint - refer to Elvis and all will be well).



From Lynyrd Skynyrd to Prince - "Juicy" is probably the only pure disco romp (sung completely in falsetto) to address the evils of tabloids. It's funky, frivolous, and very fun. "Hollow," like "A Lifetime" before it, is also a reworking of an old song, now with a much harder edge. Three high-school friends grow up and grow apart including poor Jenny, the one who got pregnant her first "time." "Our Finest Year" seems a bit redundant, but it's still very catchy and full of that BTE optimism. The albums ends on the sweetest note with "Breathless," promising that "when you feel the world is crashing all around your feet come running headlong into my arms...Breathless." This ode to unconditional love is what makes life worth living, before the robots take over. Enjoy it while you can :)"

3 1/2 Minutes, Felt Like a Lifetime

Scooter McGavin | Ohio | 06/01/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The album starts off with three sing-alongs that BTE is best known for, Burned, Daylight, and A Lifetime. A Lifetime is actually a holdover from their 2001 album, the sadly overlooked Closer. The version on BTR speeds things up a little, and rocks a little more than the original. It also includes the line that has bugged me for a while, "And that R.E.M. song was playing in my mind. Three and half minutes, felt like a lifetime." Looking through my somewhat extensive R.E.M. library, found that Let Me In off of Monster clocks in at 3:28 and At My Most Beautiful off of Up finishes at the 3:35 mark. Monty Got a Raw Deal, The One I Love, and Find the River are all close also and might fit the song. (Keep in mind that A Lifetime ends at 3:26.)



Another BTE trademark is that they take some chances and that is found in Its Only Natural, Special, and Juicy. Juicy is the best, a danceable song that is accompanied by a falsetto voice and a driving bass line that make you realize what a modern Bee-Gee's song might sound like is they listen to Devo or Violent Femmes.



American Dream is the best written song on the album telling the story of a few people that haven't achieved the American Dream yet. In this Red State/Blue State time, the lines, "I'm a little bit rebel, I'm a bit patriot. I can see both sides of the coin" probably describes most of America while our government is littered with fanatics on both side of the fence. A Southern Thang lives up to the bill as a southern rock song being that the band is from New Orleans. The song also takes a little of the melody of the David Essex classic, Rock On, during the chorus. They even namedrop the King of Delta Blues himself, Robert Johnson in the song."