Though Louisiana-based alternative rockers
Better Than Ezra reached a commercial peak in the mid-'90s, the band never stopped playing through the decades following its initial blowup. Unlike many of their peers who faded into nonexistence following the era that gave us
Reality Bites and grunge,
Better Than Ezra consistently kept exploring their sound, and eighth studio album
All Together Now finds them at characteristic heights of wistful FM radio pop songwriting. The album was produced by
Belle and Sebastian affiliate
Tony Hoffer and is the first for the band since its 2009 effort, Paper Empire. Singles "Crazy Lucky" and "Gonna Get Better" offer a more stripped-down sound than the albums that came just before it. ~ Fred Thomas