While this group may be classified by some as country-rock, I would put the emphasis on rock for this album. "In the Blood" sounds more like a fast rock or alternative than country rock, as an example. The next cut after, "Good", sounds a little like Smashing Pumpkins with a heavy bass back beat, but not much like country.

"Southern Gurl" has good harmonies and backing vocals that flavor this song with more alternative. Once again, though the title sounds like it could be country, this is really a rock song.

"The Killer Inside" has what can truly be said to be soulful guitars. While the phrase sounds a bit cliche, you have to listen to this song to appreciate how soulful the guitars are; really mellow, with a hint of 50s music.

"Rosealia" is the first song that has a country flavor; a straight-forward song, simple, solid music backing. "Cry in the Sun" follows with an even deeper country flavor, but still closer to rock than to country. Occasionally the organ jumps into the front and for just a moment I'm reminded of Tommy James and the Shondells. "Teenager" starts off like a country-rock song, and you start to wonder whether the CD is going to transition from a rock beginning to a country finish. Even though the song starts country-rock, there is a grunge guitar in this song that strains to make this a grunge-rock song.

Track 8 is a hoot. It almost sounds like one of the bonus tracks on the Beach Boy's "Pet Sounds" CD. It's an instrumental, with lots of echo; quiet, with humming for vocals, and guitars taking the lead. This track leads into "Summerhouse" with a bass guitar providing a "Peter Gunn"-like intro. The drums come crashing in with a lead guitar to direct the CD back to rock.

"Porcelain" starts out like blues, flavored by country. There are pretty harmonies on this song, mellow and middle-of-the-road. There are points on this song where I'm reminded a bit of "Tumbleweed Connection" by Elton John. The next song, "Heaven", also has a small amount of country flavor, but it's more of a pop song. Not filler, but also not a signature or breakout song.

The next song, "This Time of Year", starts of like a John Denver song with an acoustic guitar accompanied by a vocal. About a minute into the song the rest of the group jumps in, but the flavor is still John Denver, though John wasn't much for the bass that is clearly in the background.

The last song, "Coyote", makes its orientation known immediately. This song is country-rock. No pretensions to anything else. I almost have to laugh when Better than Ezra harmonizes on the word "Coyote", as they sound nearly like a coyote. But if you wait a while, you find that "Coyote" harbors a surprise. "Coyote" is actually two songs, one a country-rock song, the other a parody of European techno-rock, using German lyrics. Like track 8, this song is funny.

This CD is interesting. There is a lot of country flavor on the last half of the CD, but there are a lot of other influences as well. Several of the songs show heavy influence by other artists, and yet Better than Ezra have made those influences their own. Good music, well created and performed. The group does not try to add elements that don't belong. Their music is full without being overblown, sparse without being inadequate. Furthermore, I like a group that doesn't take itself over-seriously. This is a solid CD for a broad range of music collections.


How good are they? Well, they're Better Than Ezra.....   August 4, 2004
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

Deluxe(1995). Better Than Ezra's First LP Album.

Around 1995, when bands like Green Day and Hootie & The Blowfish were enjoying Multi-Platinum success, Better Than Ezra combined the two bands, adding influences of Rock, Punk, and Roots/Country/Blues and released 'Deluxe'. As said before, Better Than Ezra sounds like a cross between Hootie & The Blowfish and Green Day, or maybe a softer version of modern rockers 3 Doors Down. Upon its release, 'Deluxe' garnered good critical and commercial success, and even spawned the popular song 'Good', which easily gave 'Deluxe' over a 1,000,000 copies sold in its first year. After reading a favorable review of 'How Does Your Garden Grow?' by the wickerman, and I saw the CD at a Library, I decided to give the album a chance. So, was I pleasantly surprised, or officially disgusted? Read on to find out!

Track Ratings-

In The Blood- "In The Blood" features a southern tinged acoustic riff along with touching vocals from Joel Rundell to create a jazzy Southern Rocker. An excellent, catchy song that will catch your attention and hold it!

Good- "Good" deservedly became a big hit! It starts off much like Green Day's "When I Come Around", accentuating the bass along with a catchy, punky riff that perfectly complements Rundell's slightly bluesy vocals to make a catchy, poppy rocker that flat out rules. "Good" guitarwork!

Southern Gurl- "Southern Gurl" is an excellent ballad, starting off with a subtle electric riff, yet Rundell's brooding vocals steal the show here! The slight use of a violin works very well here, as does the chorus. Who doesn't "need a southern girl"?

The Killer Inside- "The Killer Inside" deftly blends a smooth Country tinged guitar riff with slight touches of a violin, not to mention Rundell's harmonic vocals, which makes an excellent ballad even better!

Rosealia- "Rosealia" is an upbeat Southern and Punky rocker, going from an Alternative Rocker to a slow Country ballad during the chorus. Insanely catchy bassline and vocals! Excellent song, that should have seriously been a hit!

Cry In The Sun- "Cry In The Sun" is a soulful Country/Folk influenced rocker, using a subtle organ behind Rundell's melodic vocals to create a catchy ballad that won't fail to please!

Teenager- "Teenager" is a Bass Heavy rocker, an almost sarcastic look at the havoc teenagers cast on their families. Rundell's upbeat vocals and an interesting bass beat make this Southern tinged rocker excellent!

(Untitled)- Filler track with a slow bluesy guitar solo behind echoy vocals. Not bad for filler.

Summerhouse- "Summerhouse" would make Green Day proud! A pulsing bassline along with a Punky guitar riff makes Rundell's seemingly joking vocals sound perfectly normal! A Catchy, Excellent Alternative Rocker!

Porcelain- "Porcelain" reminds me of a Bob Dylan hit, as "Porcelain" uses a Folk influence acoustic guitar behind Rundell's pronounced, brooding vocals to create a slow, but great ballad.

Heaven- "Heaven" is a heartbroken, questioning ballad, wondering if you can really get into heaven. A slight electric guitar riff lays off and lets Rundell steal the show here with his symphonic vocals. A good ballad, featuring good guitarwork.

This Time of Year- "This Time of Year" is easily the weakest track here, as it sounds too similar too the other songs, using a Folky acoustic riff behind Rundell's melodic vocals to create a decent, yet redundant ballad.

Coyote- "Coyote" is a good Blues Rock song, using a bluesy, almost jazzy beat, putting the main focus on Rundell's almost yodeling vocals, which surprisingly work!(P.S.- The hidden ending completely RULES!)

Overall, 'Deluxe' gives me nothing to complain about, as all the songs here a catchy, Southern influenced rockers that won't fail to please! I'm surprised Better Than Ezra didn't become superstars, as all of these songs could EASILY have been hits! It's a pity! Anyways, if you want good, catchy, Alternative Rock with Southern Rock/Blues/Punk Influences, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by Better Than Ezra!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO FANS OF ALTERNATIVE ROCK, SOUTHERN ROCK,
BLUES ROCK, PUNK, AND BETTER THAN EZRA. CHECK BETTER THAN EZRA OUT, I THINK YOU'LL BE IMPRESSED IN ALL LIKELIHOOD!

Killer Kuts- "Good" and "Rosealia".

Also Recommended-

Dookie- Green Day
Cracked Rear View- Hootie & The Blowfish
Friction, Baby- Better Than Ezra

Thanks For Reading!



a modern day classic worthy of the ages   November 18, 1999
 3 out of 4 found this review helpful

this cd is the album my kids will grow up listening to and my grand kids and so on and so on. this is a great mix of songs and styles and a joy to listen to, now if only i could get my hands on a copy of suprise.


One of the Best Albums of the 1990's   May 31, 2002
 3 out of 4 found this review helpful

I bought this album after hearing "Good" and "Rosealia" on the radio. When I first got the album, I listened to mainly the more upbeat songs like the two mentioned above and "Southern Girl". These songs have a classic southern-rock feel to them and have great melodies. Really it was a breath of fresh air after all the grunge music of the early 90's. The last track "Coyote" is a great mid-tempo country rock song.

Later I started to get into the slower stuff on the album and was amazed by how good these songs were. There are 5 excellent slower songs on this album. At the end of the album, you have the two acoustic numbers "Porcelain" and "This Time of Year". Then there's "Heaven", which sounds like it was almost written by a Christian Rock band (not in a bad way, it's an amazing song). Then on the first half of the album you have "Cry in the Sun" (organ gives the song a great mood) and my personal favorite "The Killer Inside", which has a haunting but beautiful melody, real emotional. I could listen to these 5 songs over and over, I don't own any other albums which have 5 slow songs half this good.

Some people have criticized the production on this album, saying it's amateurish, but I think it really adds to the songs and makes the album sound unique. The CD has a "live" feel to it, really natural and unforced. It lets the songs and vocals really shine through. "Porcelain" sounds like it was almost was recorded on MTV Unplugged.

This is Better Than Ezra's best album. Their songwriting is at its best for this album and it is easily their most consistent effort. Like I said, the slower songs truly standout as some of the best music of the time. The one song I could do without is "Teenager", which isn't as strong as the rest of the album, but still an OK track.

This album was released in 1995 and I still listen to it all the time. I rated it #5 on my list of best albums of the 1990's.


Good Memories ...   March 5, 2004
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

BTE formed at LSU in 1988 when I was a freshman there. One of their first gigs was a frat party for SAE, and one of my best friends was a pledge there at the time. I remember asking him who was playing at their house that weekend and he told me. I asked, "Are they any good?" to which he replied, "Well, they're better than Ezra." Classic.

I saw them many, many times live at frat parties and in bars around campus. Deluxe was actually first released in late 1993, at a record-release party at the Varsity in Baton Rouge. I was there and bought my copy of the CD for $10 directly from the band after the show. Even though Ezra was a big deal to those of us at LSU who had grown to love their funky style, they weren't national at that point.

When I heard the songs on this CD, I remember thinking they were all fantastic and that this would be the breakthrough they had been working towards for so long. Every song on Deluxe is great, and it's amazing that they recorded this in a makeshift studio with their own funding.

However, it wasn't until they signed on with Electra and re-released Deluxe, along with a real marketing campaign, that really pushed the CD onto the national scene. Thus, the first time I heard "Good" on the radio wasn't until summer 1995, at which point I went completely ballistic. I don't think I could have been more excited even if I were in the band.

Better Than Ezra was my favorite band a decade ago, and they are still my favorite band today. They have changed quite a bit since then, but I think their most recent album Closer is their best yet.

But it's this one, Deluxe, that always puts a smile on my face and reminds me of the great time we all had at LSU in the early 90's.