The Weepies - Say I Am You Album Review

The Weepies
"Say I Am You"
Album Review
Nettwerk

Before forming The Weepies, Deb Talan and Steve Tannen were both singer-songwriters who had garnered critical praise for their individual releases. Mutual fans of one another, they met after one of his gigs, and spent the night trading an acoustic guitar. This led to their independent "Happiness" record of 2003, and they now release the follow-up, which was recorded at their rented home.

"Say I Am You" is an album of folk songs laced with warm summer melodies and fine vocal harmonies. However, for every track that impresses, there is one that is equally unremarkable – in short, there are not enough ideas to keep the record interesting for its duration. Opening track "Take It From Me" is an indicator of things to come – sweet acoustic guitar, Talan's heart-warming singing… but lacking in anything to make it really stand out. The same can be said of "Riga Girls", or "Gotta Have You".

Without wanting to sound blunt, all too often The Weepies are simply boring. "World Spins Madly On", sung by Tannen and featuring in the Jennifer Aniston movie "Friends With Money", is just one of many examples of this. Where the duo does impress greatly is in their lyrics, which are consistently introspective and poetic. Anyone who is unhappily single will instantly relate to "Love Doesn't Last Too Long", while "Not Your Year" is about those who yearn for so much more from their understated lives. With the acoustic style favoured by The Weepies, the words to these songs shine through, especially on the vocal talent of Talan. They don't by any means make the album a good one, but they are a silver lining in the cloud.

Alex Lai