Do you have an artist or band that you really really want to love? There's something in their music that make you ready to embrace them and sing their praises from the highest mountaintops. But when you finally get to sit down and listen to the entire album you get a sense of disappointment. All the elements are there, but for some reason they just don't coalesce quite the right way.
The Watson Twins are one of those artists for me. As they prove on their new album, Talking To You, Talking To Me, Chandra and Leigh can sing and they can play, but it never results in that eureka moment.
The new album is a bit of a departure for the duo. For the most part they have dropped the folk-inspired style of their debut. Instead they opt for a dark, jazzy lounge spin. While tracks like "Forever Me" are a pretty straightforward take on the genre, we do get some personal interpretations. "Harpeth River" lays down a solid drumbeat which lends it the air of a stripped down Portishead number, while the organ swirl on "Midnight" takes it into "I Put a Spell On You" territory.
Too often though the twins seem uncomfortably restrained. When they are loose and playful we get gems like "Tell Me Why" and "U-N-Me" or even the smoldering, sensuous "Devil In You". But they always seem to rein it in too soon, resulting in eminently forgettable cuts like "Brave One" and "Calling Out".
On Talking To You, Talking To Me Chandra and Leigh show us once again that they've got everything it takes to make a great record. I just wish they would give us a good hard look rather than quick glimpses.
Best tracks: "U-N-Me", "Tell Me Why"
Track listing for Talking To You, Talking To Me:
- Modern Man
- Harpeth River
- Forever Me
- Midnight
- Savin' You
- Brave One
- Devil In You
- Snow Canyons
- Tell Me Why
- Calling Out
- Give Me a Chance
- U-N-Me
The Watson Twins' Myspace
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