AMG Review of Born on a Pirate Ship

Stewart Mason
All Music Guide

Barenaked Ladies' third album, Born on a Pirate Ship, was recorded during a period of personnel instability and misgivings over the band's artistic direction. The Toronto group attempts humor in the manner of 1992's Gordon and include reworked versions of early material like "Shoe Box," which had originally appeared on the band's 1990 demo. The wistful "The Old Apartment" and the tender Robertson ballad "When I Fall" further develop the group's ability to wring tenderness and angst out of unexpected situations.