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Track Listings
| 1. Even If If Breaks Your Heart |
| 2. Crazy Girl |
| 3. Every Other Memory |
| 4. On My Way |
| 5. Skeletons |
| 6. I Love You |
| 7. The Fight |
| 8. My Old Man's Son |
| 9. Recover |
| 10. The Falling |
| 11. War On A Desperate Man |
| 12. Say Goodnight |
| 13. How Quickly You Forget |
| 14. Life At Best |
Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
It's a crazy-good story. The Eli Young Band--four musicians who met during their college days in Texas--is now 11 years into a career built on touring without a single lineup change. That dedication is paying off big-time as the band enjoys a crazy new level of success. They sell a crazy amount of tickets. Get a crazy amount of airplay. And are selling a crazy amount of downloads--EYB is on the verge of its first Gold single for the aptly named "Crazy Girl."
"Crazy Girl" is a perfect introduction to Life At Best, a 14-track album that takes the band's wide-ranging multi-genre influences and distills them into a focused, engaging vision: edgy country with hints of heartland rock bands such as Tom Petty and classic Eagles.
Produced by Mike Wrucke with executive producer Frank Liddell (a team noted for its award-winning work with Miranda Lambert), Life At Best takes the listener on a journey, winding through songscapes that walk a delicate line. There's a distinct variance from track to track as EYB veers from energetic quasi-rockers to steel-ladled country songs to conflicted ballads. And yet the album maintains a singular identity, built around a sound that's been masterfully created over the course of three studio albums.
"We were able to just go in and record the entire record all in the same time period, and so you're in the same state of mind the entire time you're recording," lead singer Mike Eli notes. "There's something to be said about that when you're creating music, and I think this album demonstrates it. There's a degree of cohesiveness with this record that I don't think we've had with our prior records."
"In the very beginning, we decided that this is gonna be the four of us or it wasn't gonna work," Jones reflects. "Way before Nashville was even on our radar, we had time to figure out how we wanted to do it and really kind of commit to each other. We decided that we would be stronger, the four of us going through it together instead of just one person, which I think is the best thing about being a band. You have a group of people to share everything with--to share some of the work and keep each other grounded."
"Crazy Girl" underscored the strength of the group's foundation when it sold 47,000 copies in its first week out. It quickly became the fastest radio hit in EYB's career and sent an undisputable signal that the group is now a coast-to-coast phenomenon.
But as strong a reception as "Crazy Girl" has received; it's merely an introduction to an album long on ingratiating melodies, magnetic hooks and subtly provocative storylines.
"What I like about our records is there are different kinds of songs here and there, and there's something for everybody," Young says. "We don't set out to write just one kind of song."
EYB members wrote or co-wrote nine of the 14 tracks, drawing on their collective experiences as musical partners and growing individuals. They referenced their struggles as a band, the pitfalls of relationships, the complexities of family heritage and the difficulties of simply being human. Despite digging into hardship, they transmitted it with an unerring sense of optimism.
And they did it in a way that only four guys who have held together as friends and business partners through several years of difficult touring can.
"Life At Best has just a little bit more maturity than anything we've done before," Jones says. "We're always writing about what we're going through, and the type of song that appeals to us changes with our lives. We've been growing up together and going through the same phases really since college, and you can see some of that in this record. You can see that we're a little bit older than in Jet Black & Jealous."
And a little more established. Their growing TV presence, their continuing road-warrior commitment and the imminent Gold of "Crazy Girl" all point Life At Best in one direction: a crazy little thing called success.
It's a crazy-good story. The Eli Young Band--four musicians who met during their college days in Texas--is now 11 years into a career built on touring without a single lineup change. That dedication is paying off big-time as the band enjoys a crazy new level of success. They sell a crazy amount of tickets. Get a crazy amount of airplay. And are selling a crazy amount of downloads--EYB is on the verge of its first Gold single for the aptly named "Crazy Girl."
Penned by fellow artist Lee Brice and Nashville songwriter Liz Rose ("You Belong With Me"), "Crazy Girl" is a perfect introduction to Life At Best, a 14-track album that takes the band's wide-ranging multi-genre influences and distills them into a focused, engaging vision: edgy country with hints of heartland rock bands such as Tom Petty and classic Eagles.
Produced by Mike Wrucke with executive producer Frank Liddell (a team noted for its award-winning work with Miranda Lambert), Life At Best takes the listener on a journey, winding through songscapes that walk a delicate line. There's a distinct variance from track to track as EYB veers from energetic quasi-rockers to steel-ladled country songs to conflicted ballads. And yet the album maintains a singular identity, built around a sound that's been masterfully created over the course of three studio albums.
"We were able to just go in and record the entire record all in the same time period, and so you're in the same state of mind the entire time you're recording," lead singer Mike Eli notes. "There's something to be said about that when you're creating music, and I think this album demonstrates it. There's a degree of cohesiveness with this record that I don't think we've had with our prior records."
There's also a degree of anticipation--understandable given that "Crazy Girl" provides a new level of exposure to a national presence that's been created by simple touring. Their last album, Jet Black & Jealous, debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Country Albums chart in 2008 even though the group had never made the Top 10 through radio play at that point in its career. One title from that project, "Always The Love Songs," provided that Top 10 breakthrough while the group earned critical acclaim from People, USA Today, Billboard, The New Yorker, American Songwriter and Country Weekly and picked up television appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. EYB also nabbed a nomination from the Academy of Country Music for Top New Vocal Group of the Year.
Still, nothing demonstrated the band's impact on the public consciousness better than its ability to turn a disappointing concert hurdle into personal triumph. A handful of dates on the multi-act Country Throwdown Tour were dropped in 2010 as the promoters made a cost-cutting move during a difficult touring season. With only nine days notice, the Eli Young Band announced a concert on its own in Dallas and sold an impressive 20,000 tickets with little advance.
"We were rolling the dice on that show," drummer Chris Thompson admits. "It was great to see the payoff on that concert and know that those people have our back."
If the band's fan base has its back, it's merely an extension of the solidarity the Eli Young Band has demonstrated since the beginning. Thompson, guitarist James Young and bass player Jon Jones formed an instant friendship and started performing around Denton when they were students at North Texas State University in 1998. Eli came into the picture when he enrolled at the school the next year, first playing duo shows with Young, then singing lead as the gang of four officially made its live debut in October 2000.
"In the very beginning, we decided that this is gonna be the four of us or it wasn't gonna work," Jones reflects. "Way before Nashville was even on our radar, we had time to figure out how we wanted to do it and really kind of commit to each other. We decided that we would be stronger, the four of us going through it together instead of just one person, which I think is the best thing about being a band. You have a group of people to share everything with--to share some of the work and keep each other grounded."
There was plenty of work. And little pay. EYB built its reputation by honing its music in front of audiences. They'd play a club, sometimes for fewer than 100 members, but when they returned to that venue, the crowds were invariably larger. Within three visits, they usually sold out the house and would soon need to move up to a larger hall.
The group routinely plowed its earnings back into the business, buying better equipment, fueling its cramped van, and gambling on the good vibes the musicians shared as a band--and with their growing legion of fans. It's the same method that lifted many classic bands: New Jersey's Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Seattle's Nirvana and Detroit's Bob Seger. The Eli Young Band established itself first in Denton, grew to prominence in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, expanded into a regional act across Texas and Oklahoma and eventually extended its tentacles from coast to coast.
EYB shed the van in favor of a bus several years ago and has stepped into even larger venues, opening for the likes of Alan Jackson, Jason Aldean and the Dave Matthews Band. And the group has reached a level where it regularly sells out 5,000-seaters on its own in the Southwest and 3,000-seaters in other areas of the nation.
"Crazy Girl" underscored the strength of the group's foundation when it sold 47,000 copies in its first week out. It quickly became the fastest radio hit in EYB's career and sent an undisputable signal that the group is now a coast-to-coast phenomenon.
"Some of the biggest responders were way outside of Texas," Jones asserts. "It seemed like everywhere we're went people were really welcoming us into the doors and ready to give the single a chance."
But as strong a reception as "Crazy Girl" has received; it's merely an introduction to an album long on ingratiating melodies, magnetic hooks and subtly provocative storylines. "Even If It Breaks Your Heart" kicks it off with a breezy Petty feel, and the project runs through the punchy "Every Other Memory," the optimistic crunch of "Recover," the introspective ballad "My Old Man's Son" and the gritty "Skeletons."
"What I like about our records is there are different kinds of songs here and there, and there's something for everybody," Young says. "We don't set out to write just one kind of song."
EYB members wrote or co-wrote nine of the 14 tracks, drawing on their collective experiences as musical partners and growing individuals. They referenced their struggles as a band, the pitfalls of relationships, the complexities of family heritage and the difficulties of simply being human. Despite digging into hardship, they transmitted it with an unerring sense of optimism.
And they did it in a way that only four guys who have held together as friends and business partners through several years of difficult touring can. They were all born within a 15-month span, and that's created a shared prism through which they're able to see the world and their music.
"Life At Best has just a little bit more maturity than anything we've done before," Jones says. "We're always writing about what we're going through, and the type of song that appeals to us changes with our lives. We've been growing up together and going through the same phases really since college, and you can see some of that in this record. You can see that we're a little bit older than in Jet Black & Jealous."
And a little more established. Their growing TV presence, their continuing road-warrior commitment and the imminent Gold of "Crazy Girl" all point Life At Best in one direction: a crazy little thing called success.
Product Description
2011 album from the Texas-based Country quartet. The Eli Young Band--four musicians who met during their college days in Texas--is now 11 years into a career built on touring without a single lineup change. Produced by Mike Wrucke with executive producer Frank Liddell (a team noted for its award-winning work with Miranda Lambert), Life At Best takes the listener on a journey, winding through songscapes that walk a delicate line. There's a distinct variance from track to track as EYB veers from energetic quasi-rockers to steel-ladled country songs to conflicted ballads. And yet the album maintains a singular identity, built around a sound that's been masterfully created over the course of three studio albums. Features the hit 'Crazy Girl'.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Music
The early release (Crazy Girl) from this album came out some time ago now (at the time I'm writing this review) and from the first time I heard it and/or saw the video I was hooked. That was probably inevitable, given past enjoyment and appreciation of the works of this group.
In anycase, this is (again, at the time I am writing this) the latest from this group from Denton, Texas. Starting with the first track, Even If It Breaks Your Heart, Mike Eli's vocals draw listeners in and offer a soothing voice of encouragement harkening back to a time and place where dreams can offer both hope and disappointment. This is a song of nostalgia, but offering that additional message about looking beyond the potential heartbreak and continuing to dream anyway.
Crazy Girl follows. The video is one that seemed to offer the band (at least from what I could tell on the "behind the video"/making of type show) a lot of fun. Crazy Girl is a love song at heart, but the video offers a different view that puts a twist on the situation. In the end, Crazy Girl is about loving someone like crazy, something that I've told my fiance (soon to be wife now!) applies to herself in my own eyes.
Every Other Memory picks up the pace and tempo though the subject of the song is about thinking of a past love that was lost who still haunts every other memory.
On My Way maintains a bit of the up-tempo pacing with a happier subject compared to the tunes that preceeded it on this album. There ain't a worry in my world... on my way.
Skeletons offers a bit of a Springsteen sound as it starts. The best I can suggest is give a listen, you should pick it up right away. The topic here is the Skeletons in the closet that we all have. A bit bluesy, a bit rock 'n roll, again a tune that is fun to listen to.
I Love You is a simple love song, beautiful, tender, slow and sweet.
The Fight is a song that is easy to figure out the subject of, or maybe it isn't. Really, you've got to listen to the song and give it a chance, much like the rest of the tunes on the album.
My Old Man's Son is a nice song that is an ode to being influenced by your own father (and mother). It is one of the best of the songs on the album, at least in my opinion, though it's hard to pick the best of this album given the high overall quality here.
At this point there are still 6 tracks remaining here. Some listeners may find themselves a bit bored by the similar sounds the later tracks would share with the earlier ones, but really I like EYB and am perfectly content to sit and listen to the remaining tunes (Recover, The Falling, War On A Desperate Man, Say Goodnight, How Quickly You Forget, and Life At Best).
Personally I give this album a hearty recommended buy rating.
In anycase, this is (again, at the time I am writing this) the latest from this group from Denton, Texas. Starting with the first track, Even If It Breaks Your Heart, Mike Eli's vocals draw listeners in and offer a soothing voice of encouragement harkening back to a time and place where dreams can offer both hope and disappointment. This is a song of nostalgia, but offering that additional message about looking beyond the potential heartbreak and continuing to dream anyway.
Crazy Girl follows. The video is one that seemed to offer the band (at least from what I could tell on the "behind the video"/making of type show) a lot of fun. Crazy Girl is a love song at heart, but the video offers a different view that puts a twist on the situation. In the end, Crazy Girl is about loving someone like crazy, something that I've told my fiance (soon to be wife now!) applies to herself in my own eyes.
Every Other Memory picks up the pace and tempo though the subject of the song is about thinking of a past love that was lost who still haunts every other memory.
On My Way maintains a bit of the up-tempo pacing with a happier subject compared to the tunes that preceeded it on this album. There ain't a worry in my world... on my way.
Skeletons offers a bit of a Springsteen sound as it starts. The best I can suggest is give a listen, you should pick it up right away. The topic here is the Skeletons in the closet that we all have. A bit bluesy, a bit rock 'n roll, again a tune that is fun to listen to.
I Love You is a simple love song, beautiful, tender, slow and sweet.
The Fight is a song that is easy to figure out the subject of, or maybe it isn't. Really, you've got to listen to the song and give it a chance, much like the rest of the tunes on the album.
My Old Man's Son is a nice song that is an ode to being influenced by your own father (and mother). It is one of the best of the songs on the album, at least in my opinion, though it's hard to pick the best of this album given the high overall quality here.
At this point there are still 6 tracks remaining here. Some listeners may find themselves a bit bored by the similar sounds the later tracks would share with the earlier ones, but really I like EYB and am perfectly content to sit and listen to the remaining tunes (Recover, The Falling, War On A Desperate Man, Say Goodnight, How Quickly You Forget, and Life At Best).
Personally I give this album a hearty recommended buy rating.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Prime Cuts: Even If It Breaks Your Heart, Crazy Girl, My Old Man's Son
Tight harmonies, boy band good looks and 70s rock with a touch of rustic traditionalism thrown in for convention, Eli Young Band, on a cursory level, might not chart new ground. Rather, they have followed the well soddened path blazed by other country groups such as Rascal Flatts, Emerson Drive, Zac Brown Band and Little Big Town. This is why despite being together as a group for the last 11 years and with their previous major label debut "Jet Black and Jealous," these four men have yet to become a household name. But it's all about to change with this Republic Nashville disc "Life at Best." Living up to its titular title, this is Eli Young Band's best album to date. And its pride of place goes to its well chosen songs. "Crazy Girl" the album's lead single has not only been their most successful single but it was recently awarded the coveted "gold" status for 500,000 downloads. In this day and age where illegal downloads are so prevalent, for "Crazy Girl" to achieve such a status is by itself a testimony of the song's greatnesses. And based on what we hear on this disc, it is safe to say the hits will not stop with "Crazy Girl." Though the band had co-written 9 out of the 14 cuts, the best are still those that came from pens not belonging to the four.
Written by fellow artist Lee Brice and burgeoning hit writer Liz Rose, "Crazy Girl" has the word "hit" stamped all over. A song that finds the protagonist offering assurances of abiding love to his girl in the trials of a relationship, this is the type of love songs that will be devoured by the band's sea of female fans. Compounded with the infectious sing-a-long melody, all of these factors make "Crazy Girl" a hit hard to ignore. Bristling with optimism is the band's cover of Will Hodge's cover "Even If It Breaks My Heart." With a message that calls for one not to give up on our dreams, this again feeds country radio's incessant need to fill their "inspirational song" quota. Similar in theme about not giving up is "The Fight"--though a little redundant, this song is saved somehow by Mike Eli's sincere and somehow anthemic delivery. "I Love You," on the other hand, must be faulted for its unimaginative title, yet the song is to be applauded for how its melodic structures creatively build up to its crescendo chorus.
Nevertheless, some of the album's most glowing moments are with the ballads. "My Old Man's Son" has a James Taylor-folk like narrative to it that gives the album its most welcome break amidst the rock-centered songs. Part of the reason why "My Old Man's Son" is so enthralling is because of its lucid and piercing lyrics; "From the way I laugh to the way I hold a woman's hand / Everywhere I go, wherever I run / I'll be my old man's son." "Every Other Memory" has a retro feel to it harkening back to country music in the early 90s where the song's beauty is found in the interesting turn on words shadowed by its haunting melody. To cut a desperately introspective song like "War on a Desperate Man" shows that these boys are more than interested in targeting for radio hits. This is a brooding ballad about a man's with brokenness that is intoned with so much passion over a folky backdrop spiked by some foreboding steel guitars. While the soft rock ballad "Say Goodnight" would work a little better if the backings were a little less busy.
Eli Young Band stepped out of the box with "How Quickly You Forget"--a bluesy swampy rock piece that finds its inspiration in Marty Stuart is passable without being memorable. And a few rockers like "Recover" and the title cut "Life at Best" are more fillers than career changing numbers. Overall, "Life At Best" finds Eli Young Band at their best thus far. Despite a few fillers, there are enough stellar cuts here presenting life with its aspirations, despairs and challenges in ways that are memorable and soul searching.
Tight harmonies, boy band good looks and 70s rock with a touch of rustic traditionalism thrown in for convention, Eli Young Band, on a cursory level, might not chart new ground. Rather, they have followed the well soddened path blazed by other country groups such as Rascal Flatts, Emerson Drive, Zac Brown Band and Little Big Town. This is why despite being together as a group for the last 11 years and with their previous major label debut "Jet Black and Jealous," these four men have yet to become a household name. But it's all about to change with this Republic Nashville disc "Life at Best." Living up to its titular title, this is Eli Young Band's best album to date. And its pride of place goes to its well chosen songs. "Crazy Girl" the album's lead single has not only been their most successful single but it was recently awarded the coveted "gold" status for 500,000 downloads. In this day and age where illegal downloads are so prevalent, for "Crazy Girl" to achieve such a status is by itself a testimony of the song's greatnesses. And based on what we hear on this disc, it is safe to say the hits will not stop with "Crazy Girl." Though the band had co-written 9 out of the 14 cuts, the best are still those that came from pens not belonging to the four.
Written by fellow artist Lee Brice and burgeoning hit writer Liz Rose, "Crazy Girl" has the word "hit" stamped all over. A song that finds the protagonist offering assurances of abiding love to his girl in the trials of a relationship, this is the type of love songs that will be devoured by the band's sea of female fans. Compounded with the infectious sing-a-long melody, all of these factors make "Crazy Girl" a hit hard to ignore. Bristling with optimism is the band's cover of Will Hodge's cover "Even If It Breaks My Heart." With a message that calls for one not to give up on our dreams, this again feeds country radio's incessant need to fill their "inspirational song" quota. Similar in theme about not giving up is "The Fight"--though a little redundant, this song is saved somehow by Mike Eli's sincere and somehow anthemic delivery. "I Love You," on the other hand, must be faulted for its unimaginative title, yet the song is to be applauded for how its melodic structures creatively build up to its crescendo chorus.
Nevertheless, some of the album's most glowing moments are with the ballads. "My Old Man's Son" has a James Taylor-folk like narrative to it that gives the album its most welcome break amidst the rock-centered songs. Part of the reason why "My Old Man's Son" is so enthralling is because of its lucid and piercing lyrics; "From the way I laugh to the way I hold a woman's hand / Everywhere I go, wherever I run / I'll be my old man's son." "Every Other Memory" has a retro feel to it harkening back to country music in the early 90s where the song's beauty is found in the interesting turn on words shadowed by its haunting melody. To cut a desperately introspective song like "War on a Desperate Man" shows that these boys are more than interested in targeting for radio hits. This is a brooding ballad about a man's with brokenness that is intoned with so much passion over a folky backdrop spiked by some foreboding steel guitars. While the soft rock ballad "Say Goodnight" would work a little better if the backings were a little less busy.
Eli Young Band stepped out of the box with "How Quickly You Forget"--a bluesy swampy rock piece that finds its inspiration in Marty Stuart is passable without being memorable. And a few rockers like "Recover" and the title cut "Life at Best" are more fillers than career changing numbers. Overall, "Life At Best" finds Eli Young Band at their best thus far. Despite a few fillers, there are enough stellar cuts here presenting life with its aspirations, despairs and challenges in ways that are memorable and soul searching.
By JDS
Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase
Great band. I was really suprised how much I liked their sound. Reminds me of the twangy country sound of Hootie and the Blowfish. It's defintely not straight country. I was impressed that I actually liked every song on here. That says a lot about a country music album.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Cd
This CD contains a lot of great songs and I have really enjoyed listening to it. The Eli Young Band has quickly become one of my favorites.
Published 15 days ago by Melissa
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eli Young Band
Ordered this for a family member who loves there music and didn't have this album. She is enjoying it greatly.
Published 18 days ago by Doris A. Davis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life at Best
I bought this cd because of a ten second clip I heard in a game of Even If it Breaks Your Heart, the gamble payed off. Read more
Published 21 days ago by Storm
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Music!
If you love the Texas Country "ish" sound (Pat Green; Corey Morrow) You will love the Eli Young Band and this type of music.
Published 26 days ago by Angela Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars
First time purchase.
This is my first purchase of something from the Eli Young Band & I was not disappointed. Wouldn't hesitate to buy again.
Published 1 month ago by Janet Sage
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it!
This is probably my husband's all-time favorite CD, and I have to say, even though I'm not as big of a new country fan as he is (and I'm still a fan), this album is wonderful! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jennifer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great music.
Great country music, that pretty much sums it up.
Keep on Dreaming is one of thier best songs in
my opinion.
Keep on Dreaming is one of thier best songs in
my opinion.
Published 2 months ago by Matthew .J
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love this band
Love this band, the music is so catchy and easy to listen to. Want to use one of their songs at my wedding. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Simonne
5.0 out of 5 stars
Crazy Girl
I bought this whole album for just that one song. That is how good that song is. I love it. Someday, a man will sing it to me.
Published 2 months ago by Jennifer Lund
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great band!
We love this album. My daughters have listened to it over and over since we bought it. The Eli Young Band is a group of highly talented musicians.
Published 3 months ago by Jena
