Stunt

By LINDA DAILEY PAULSON, CDNOW.

When the Barenaked Ladies decided to place "One Week" as the first cut on their new CD Stunt, they did a grave disservice to listeners. It is so difficult to stop listening repeatedly to this infectious pop-rap cut. Another dozen songs are waiting to be discovered. Listen the requisite five-plus times back-to-back, then move forward.

Stunt is filled with well-crafted tunes backed with tight and interestingly textured pop music. Rapping optional: as on the lyric bomb "Who Needs Sleep."

The Barenaked Ladies are in fact comfortable with melodically rich songs as they are seemingly with unconventional pop music topics such as to an ode to booze ("Alcohol"). "I'll Be that Girl" or "In the Car," the tunes are sunny but lyrically dark or disturbingly quirky.

This is smart pop a la Squeeze. Auditorily and cerebrally satisfying.

Rating: 9 (out of 10)