Paper Empire

Better Than Ezra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 12, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Red Distribution
• ASIN: B001YV5108
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,196 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Full of the great hooks and melodies that the band is famous for, Paper Empire marks yet another step forward in main BTE songwriter Kevin Griffin s evolution as a master tunesmith and builds on the great work Kevin has done writing with and for artists like Howie Day, David Cook, Train and Missy Higgins. Features ABSOLUTELY STILL, which is already getting spun at radio!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Longtime BTE fan, a bit disappointed..., May 15, 2009

By 

James K Polk "Napoleon of the Stump" (Bothell, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paper Empire (Audio CD)

First off, let me start by saying I am a true-blue diehard Ezralite. Their music is the soundtrack to my life as far as I'm concerned. I will never get tired of DELUXE and FRICTION BABY no matter how many thousands of times I've heard them already.

That said, it truly pains me to admit PAPER EMPIRE is not the kind of album I'll be wearing out any time soon. I get the feeling that they boys recognized the success of A LIFETIME and decided to make an entire album of A LIFETIMEs. Don't get me wrong, when Kevin Griffen writes a weepy introspective love song, they're some of the best out there. But a whole album's worth? They try to mix things up with BLACK LIGHT and NIGHTCLUBBING, but to be perfectly honest those songs come across as just plain... silly. They've gone from post-grunge rockers to something you'd hear on Dawson's Creek. I keep waiting to look up and see the end credits rolling on some chick-flick and see "Starring Bette Midler and Meryl Streep" every time I listen to this album.

On previous albums, BTE has been venturing more into the world of electronica and I gotta admit that's never been my favorite stuff of theirs, but it always worked because they had songs like BURNED and I DO to balance out JUICY and EXTRAORDINARY. Not this time, this whole album sounds like it was done on a computer. Look, I don't want an album that sounds like it was made in 1995 or anything, but there's not a single GOOD or KING OF NEW ORLEANS on this album.

I'm sorry BTE, I have always loved you and I will continue to play your other albums until my CD player won't read them anymore, but PAPER EMPIRE is going on the shelf. You've changed in a way that, while it may get you more play on the WB Network, it sells out your core fanbase. Sorry.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Survivors, May 13, 2009

By 

Andrew (AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paper Empire (Audio CD)

First off, I have to say that I breathed a sigh of relief when I woke up Tuesday morning to the All-Music Guide's review having given the album 3.5 stars out of 5. The reviewer, well familiar with BTE's catalog, referred to them as being "survivors" in the music industry. I couldn't agree more with that statement, seeing as they've always been regional stars but not well-known nationwide. And it should go without saying that the changes in band members and record labels only perpetuate this feeling.

That being said, four years after BEFORE THE ROBOTS, the band has unveiled a mixed-bag in the form of PAPER EMPIRE (or PLAYS PAPER EMPIRE, as some retailers and reviewers have improperly listed it). When first listening to the album, I felt as though the band had lost a lot of its humor and fun...that is, until I got to track 5, "All In." From there the album delves into dance-rock ala The Killers for several tracks, then lovelorn mid-tempo songs and ballads, and then keeps bouncing between the extremes. This kind of inconsistency dizzies the listener and makes one ask, "What just hit me?" when the whole thing finishes.

It doesn't help that nothing is so catchy that it sticks with you when each new track begins. It also makes the album feel shorter than it actually is, which, in this day of age of playlists and portable music players, isn't so much of a problem, but what is an issue is the lack of hooks. Plus, let's face it, the band is heading into middle-age territory, so why the radio gloss and pandering to youth with tracks like "Nightclubbing" and "Black Light"? While the ultimate recent midlife crisis is owned by Ben Folds' WAY TO NORMAL, this album is thankfully a tinge more self-aware and not as immature.

Those who have seen the band live know that Kevin Griffin likes to engage the crowd and his playfulness is raw. It was that rawness that made CLOSER such a great album, stripped to rock's bare essentials and (mostly) free of big orchestrations, which have become so overused in music nowadays. If Griffin could channel more of his older musical tastes, he could have a looser, less-forceful album that would showcase his songwriting skills, instead of dressing them up in the wrong clothes. Sure, HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW was experimental, but overtly so, and it worked because it never let up. Whereas "Juicy" from the previous album was delicious (no pun intended) because the style change was so drastic from the other tracks. Griffin just needs to figure out how to walk these lines properly and realize that middle-of-the-road just doesn't suit him.

Fortunately, Griffin does always sing with passion, which makes the album's best track, "Turn Up The Bright Lights", really soar. It also assures the listener that the album wasn't just a toss-off; a lot of thought was clearly put into the production, even if it didn't get executed as well as it could have been. I already look forward to adding it to my Better Than Ezra queue and hearing these new songs mixed in with the old ones, which I know will better the songs themselves. And the bottom line is this: ANY new music from Better Than Ezra is better than having no new music from them at all.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Still, September 29, 2009

By 

nathanb131 (Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paper Empire (MP3 Download)

This is a review of just their first song, Absolutely Still. It's a re-make of a Val Emmich song of a couple years ago. If you like it, check out more of his music. I definitely think Val's version of better, though I suppose BTE made it sound more 'pop-ish' and that's ok. When I first saw BTE in concert Val Emmich opened for them. At the same time I re-discovered BTE, an awesome band, and discovered Val Emmich who is now my favorite song-writer.

If you ever get a chance to see either of them live, do not miss it. Just saying that if you like this first song, check out Val's version, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.