Barenaked Ladies

By Ryan Belbin

All In Good Time Raisin’ Records Alternative Rock

C+

By Ryan Belbin

Barenaked Ladies have become an institutional band in Canadian music, but that shouldn’t excuse a subpar album. All In Good Time, the ladies’ first release since the departure of Steven Page, tries to fill the considerable void in the group while attempting to approach the music with sincerity mingled with their characteristic wackiness. Unfortunately, they fall short on all fronts.

“You Run Away,” the opening track and lead single, seems to be a clear address to Page, beginning with a simple escalating piano melody. It’s too bad that the lyrics can’t keep up with the music: this song is a golden opportunity to express to their fans the emotional turmoil in the group, but instead it is vacuous and trite, and the superfluous orchestration only highlights this fact. Even as a pop song, it’s a weak attempt.

Perhaps part of the problem is that Barenaked Ladies have earned a reputation as a band that cannot be taken too seriously. When they try, they end up sounding awkward. It doesn’t help that Page’s absence is all too visible; keyboardist Kevin Hearn and bassist Jim Creeggan take turns on the mic, but these tunes sound half-hearted, lacking the hooks that drew listeners into the band’s earlier material.

On the other end of the spectrum, “Four Seconds” has a creepy carnival undertone that, with its mouthful of nonsensical rhymes, tries to recapture the magic of songs like “One Week” from 1998’s Stunt. Lightning doesn’t strike twice, however, and so even the playful appeal of Barenaked Ladies is missing from All In Good Time.

Straight-laced alternative rock numbers “Every Subway Car” and “Golden Boy” manage to somewhat salvage this album, but they are outnumbered by overinflated tracks that leave no lasting impression. A creative opportunity to explore new directions, All In Good Time feels like a rushed assembly of tunes that is nowhere near as interesting or competent as it should be. Hopefully, the Ladies will wait their good time to release a new record and explore their new identity, rather than rush headfirst down a dead-end road.

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