Vanity is a Good Thing

It took a long time for Barenaked Ladies’ co-frontman Steven Page’s collaboration with mentor and friend Stephen Duffy to see light of day. Page jokingly dubbed the sessions The Vanity Project. The name stuck and an effort five years in the making was released in June 2005.

Themes on the album range from the introspective to the political. He must have been in a hurry to express his thoughts on the state of the world. The first song, “Hit and Run” has no intro and its first words are “Protest song.” Page pulls no punches on the propulsive opener:

“hit and run
everybody knows who won
if you’re the chosen son
you don’t even need a gun”

“Wilted Rose,” the album’s second track, continues the political theme with the opening line “I almost cried on the day my country died.” Some critics compare this song to early R.E.M. (“In the Car” from BNL’s Stunt sounds more R.E.M.-like than “Wilted Rose). Acoustic guitar and harmonica lay the foundation for a chorus of layered Page vocal harmonies. If “Hit and Run” was a song of protest “Wilted Rose” is defeat and disappointment (“Wilted Rose” is the first single in Page’s native Canada).

The disappointment of “Wilted Rose” is carried forward on “These Wasted Words” but this time on a personal level rather than political. The chorus features more layers of Page’s powerful voice. “These Wasted Words” is perhaps Page’s best vocal on the album and is also one of the disc’s highlights.

“So. Cal” is the only song on the album Page wrote without the help of Duffy and it sounds very similar to the BNL track “Sell, Sell, Sell” (from Maroon). US first single “That’s All That’s All” is a slower song with Page’s unmistakable voice backed by acoustic guitars and synth percussion. The song is pleasant but lazy and is probably ill suited for radio.

The politics of the first two songs and the introspection of “These Wasted Words” are merged on the standout track “Everything’s the Same” (and perhaps should have been sequenced there). The verses are filled with resentment (“Easy to bow to the flag on the wall/I pledge my allegiance to nothing at all”) but the song’s observer seems to be indifferent:

“And on the news they said the world had changed
But you and I are staying home again
And even though we’re scared
Everything’s the same”

Gentle, acoustic “Glitterbug” is the kind of thing Page should do more often. He has, at times, a thunderous voice and has famously unleashed it with full force (BNL’s “Break Your Heart,” for example). Here he takes a more understated vocal approach to lovely effect. “Thank You for Sharing” is a more clever (and more listenable) update of Mötley Crüe’s “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)” (although the Crüe’s song title is better). Dylan’s “It’s All Right (Don’t Think Twice”) might be a better frame of reference. The song’s protagonist is trying to be fair about the end of an ill-advised relationship but some zingers aimed at the departing lover reveal lingering bitterness.

There are no bad moments on TVP but not every song works as well as “Everything’s the Same” or “These Wasted Words.” “Baby Loves the Radio” is not Page’s best chorus (in fact, it is a little bit terrible) and “So Young So Wrong So Long” lacks a real hook.

This project is not a major departure from anything he has done with Barenaked Ladies. Some of the politically-charged songs (“Hit and Run,” “Wilted Rose”) would have sounded at home on BNL’s most recent album Everything to Everyone. Other songs (“These Wasted Words,” “So. Cal”) would have sounded at home on previous albums. The music of TVP illuminates Page’s contributions to his band’s sound, which is something he had in mind.

“I think there are a lot of people who would like Barenaked Ladies music, but don’t realize that they would,” Page told Rolling Stone. “Maybe our radio hits or the image of the band have marred their view of what we really are about. The biggest success I could hope for with this record is that it might bring in some of those people.”

How Shakespearean. Would a “Wilted Rose” by any other name sound as sweet? TVP comes pretty damned close. Fans of Barenaked Ladies might miss some of the humor and the contributions of other members of the band when listening to this (BNL keyboardist Kevin Hearn is the only band member featured on the disc) but The Vanity Project should more than tide them over until the next BNL disc.

GRADE = B

Review Notes: I have done this on a couple of the other albums I have reviewed. I cannot give you my first impression of the songs because I listened to the entire album the first time without taking any notes.