Turning to Page One

The first album from the newly solo Steven Page (formerly of the Barenaked Ladies) is entitled Page One. I've actually had the album for several months, but only now realized that I made no mention of it here on the blog. I have spoken about the break-up of the band, and how much I liked Steven Page's work in it; it was only natural that I'd pick up his solo effort.

While All in Good Time, the first album from the Page-less Ladies, is a fine effort with a few really good tracks on it, Page One is better still. It weaves together all my favorite elements of the Barenaked Ladies' best songs -- the clever rhyme play, the light-hearted tone to some tracks, the deeper emotion of others. And of course, Steven Page has always been the powerhouse singer of the group, and this album is his place to shine all on his own.

The album kicks off with a catchy track with great harmonies, A New Shore. And where most albums begin to run out of steam in the back half, some of the best songs on Page One are on "side two": the bouncy She's Trying to Save Me, the pop-infused If You Love Me, and the swingy Leave Her Alone.

Page One is an album I can listen to happily from beginning to end (though track 6, All the Young Monogamists, is perhaps a small hiccup), and one I'm always happy to have come up in the random iPod shuffle. If you're a Barenaked Ladies fan who hasn't yet picked it up, I highly recommend it. I rate it an A-.