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How Does Your Garden Grow?

Artist: Better Than Ezra
Genre: Alternative
Year: 1998
Rating: 7.5 / 10

Not long ago I took a lot of flak by calling the Louisiana alternative/rock band Better Than Ezra “cutting edge.” While the comment was made in jest, it might be more applicable to slap that tag on the band’s latest record, How Does Your Garden Grow? After the fairly successful debut of Deluxe, sales of BTE’s second record, Friction Baby, lagged far behind. While the band had radio-friendly hits in the songs “Good,” “In the Blood,” “King of New Orleans,” and “Desperately Wanting,” they felt that another record much like the first two would just not cut it. As a result, How Does Your Garden Grow? takes the band in a bold new direction. Through the use of several new instruments, including the Rhodes piano, beat boxes, synthesizers, and a range of guest musicians, Better Than Ezra has produced a vibrant new sound that should continue the success and growth of this New Orleans trio.

If you pay any attention to pop culture, then you might have heard BTE’s newest track, “One More Murder,” on the X-Files Soundtrack. This song is the epitome of their new sound, and if you liked it, then you will love the new album. In fact, frontman Kevin Griffin’s patented guitar does not even make an appearance until the third track. And “Murder” is not even the best song on that effort. That distinction, I think, is shared by two songs: “At the Stars” and “Live Again.” “At the Stars” is a great tune, with a slow acoustic beginning, that builds up to a chorus of great energy (complete with a string section), kind of like Radiohead. But “Live Again” is the perfect meshing of the band’s new sound and old, and quite possibly might be one of BTE’s best songs ever. For those that long for the old pop/rock friendly tunes, Better Than Ezra does not disappoint with tunes such as “Allison Foley” and the catchy “Happy Day MaMa.” Generally though, the rockers fall a little flat, although “Pull” tends to grow on you. Throw in a couple moody slow songs, and you have a fairly wide range of sounds on this 14-track record.

How Does Your Garden Grow? is a solid third album for a band that deserves more recognition than it gets. While the new sound may take some getting used to for some, it is a step in the right direction, and it one day just might make Better Than Ezra “cutting edge” after all.

(Reviewed by San Diego freelance journalist Bruce Kammer.)

Submitted 9/18/98.