The Weepies - Hideaway

The Weepies' last album, Say I Am You was a lovely collection of songs about newfound love and self discovery. Now, a couple of years later, on Hideaway, the duo has resorted to ooey-gooey feel good songs that in some cases hit, and in others miss.

Reaching Too Far?

Both Deb Talan and Steve Tannen are gifted songwriters in their own right, and Say I Am You was such a wonderful marriage of their gifts. This time around, though, it seems like the couple/duo tried a little too hard, reached a little too far to recapture the same magic.

The songs on Hideaway are probably best served in a live setting, when it's just Talan and Tannen onstage with their acoustic guitars (maybe one electric) and voices. Perhaps they wanted to try going even more dreamy than they were capable of on Say I Am You. But, as a result, they seem to have overshot and muddled the meaning and loveliness of their inherent songwriting talents in the process.

Highlights and Lowlights

Even songs about frustration and longing come across as ooey-gooey feel-good numbers this time around. The album kicks off with "All This Beauty" (purchase/download) which, lyrically, is a nice, lovely, easy tune. But, when sung, lines like, "Everyday is ice cream and chocolate cake" come across like something that would be sung on the Muppet Show.

"Lighting Candles" (purchase/download) is a little more resonant but the smooth, easy harmonies when the two sing the line, "Oh, the disappointment / so hard to handle," doesn't make you feel like there's any disappointment involved.

If there's one song that rises above the rest on the album, it's "Little Bird" (purchase/download), which is less buried under the instrumentation and over-production. Talan's melody works well here to adequately display the sadness and mistrust that pervades the lyrics. "Wish I Could Forget" (purchase/download) is another highlight that's not overpowered by its arrangement, showing off Tannen's smooth soulfulness.

After a Few Listens...

The album starts to make more sense after you listen to it several times. There are some really good songs here. The only problem is in the sheer dreaminess of the arrangements. It's easy to get caught up in the waterlogged instrumentation and forget what the song was about in the first place. That would be fine for most artists, but for gifted lyricists like Talan and Tannen, one can't help but wonder why they were so ready this time around to let the lyrics not get so far lost behind the rest of the song.

Examples are "Not Dead Yet" (purchase/download) and "How You Survived the War" (purchase/download). Both have, at very close listen, very strong story lines. But, you have to really focus in, since the vocals are so buried behind the atmospheric blur of the arrangement.