- Record Label: Columbia / Aware
- Release Date: Feb 3, 2004
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Different from the touching--but too sleepy--"America Town," "Battle" impressively tackles new territory.
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If judged merely on a sonic level it's one of the more interesting, detailed adult alternative records of recent years. But that pompous narcissism is his Achilles' heel, the thing that keeps wary listeners at bay.
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Entertainment WeeklyWeighed down by artificially inflated anthems, garbled lyrics about the apocalypse, and coy attempts at surrealism. [6 Feb 2004, p.140]
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The Battle for Everything is an occasionally interesting record, but the sheer pretension of Ondrasik's lyrics coupled with his penchant for self-seriousness tend to suck much of the fun out of what could have been an enjoyably middle-of-the-road adult alternative album.
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Ondrasik's self-pitying ballads overflow with dewy-eyed dreaminess, as his vocals swoon and swoop - think of a more annoying Chris Martin.
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BlenderThe Five... go for the high-flown pap of '70s singer-songwriters Dan Fogelberg and Dan Hill, playing off Ondrasik's fey falsetto and fondness for lush, string-sweetened arrangements. [Mar 2004, p.117]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 17 out of 22
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Mixed: 2 out of 22
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Negative: 3 out of 22
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Feb 3, 2020
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Nov 10, 2018
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LamyDec 26, 2006Fantastic...