Customer Reviews

Say I Am You

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...two adult singer/songwriters who can (1) view the world with a childlike (NOT child-ish) innocence but(2) articulate those views with a deceptively mature sensibility. After agonizing over the words to describe this man/woman musical duo, that's the most accurate I can be.

I'm hesitant to describe anything about these two very fine musicians or this album because to list a quality both limits and overextends that which I mean to convey. Still, in the spirit of trying to help, I'll muddle through.

Their overall effect is soothing and pleasant without being truly ethereal or slumber inspiring. They never rock. The tempo never exceeds that of a mid-tempo pop song. There are no volume extremities or impressive displays of any instruments. There are never more than 4 chords used in any of the songs.

The above descriptors could all be used negatively. In this case they are used appraisingly.

Oh yeah! The harmonies are B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!!!

The long and short (or at least less long) of it...
-These two aren't out to impress anybody
-They are very impressive

THE DUO

DEB:

Deb's voice is somewhat challenging to describe because the voice has bits and pieces of everybody yet the combination doesn't sound like anybody. (a) She has the timbre of Patty Griffin... but she doesn't really sound like Patty Griffin. (b) She has the strain-free delivery similar to that of Dar Williams... but she doesn't really sound like Dar Williams. (c) There's a bit of the richness of Natalie Merchant... but she doesn't really sound like Natalie Merchant. I can confidently state the there is a delightful, consistent lack of vocal strain throughout the album.

Deb's lyric style is essentially stream-of-conscious. That said, the ideas are both fresh and poignant. For example...

'What can I compare you to?'
'My favorite pair of shoes?'
'Maybe my bright, red boots... if they had wings'

If anyone feels a bit turned off by the way the above lyrics read, when sung you undoubtedly won't. They just... fit. Can't explain it... They just do.

STEVE:
Steve's voice has a healthy dose of Duncan Sheik's vocal timbre infused with the ease and innate tenderness of James Taylor. You will hear little to no effort in an attempt to use either the extreme upper or extreme lower parts of his register. He simply doesn't use them. Trust me... you WON'T miss them. In fact, he's the first artist to make me realize that you don't have to sing with a wide range in order to be a an effective singer.

Steve's songs are a also a pleasant blend of maturity and simplicity. I feel as though he knows the "rules" well enough to break them. Example:

'I woke up, and wished that I was dead'
'With an aching in my head'
'I lay motionless in bed'
'I thought of you...'
'And where you'd gone'
'And let the world... spin madly on.'

The above lyrics, from the all-too-beautiful song "World Spins Madly On" are neither clever nor complex. BUT, with his delivery and warm vocals, most will appreciate the mature honesty that comes from using (mostly) words that the average 4 year-old would know, though the overall concept would be lost on them entirely. (P.S. - Contrary to expectation, that song will NOT depress your mood or dampen your spirit one bit. It would more likely do just the opposite.)

By the way, if I were ever lucky enough to have any one person to sing me to sleep every night. It would be Steve... Hands down.

CONCLUSION:
Well folks, thus concludes my Weepies review. Hopefully I've included pretty much anything you would won't to know.

Well it's not like me to be completely taken by an album the instant I put it in my player.
But here it is. Simply crafted and beautifully sung there's just something incredibly comforting about this album. Nothing complicated or over-reaching...there is absolutely no pretension to be found....isn't that refreshing? They are making music because it's what they enjoy and it shows in every song. And as a previous reviewer noted they never "rock"...so definately not for the heavy metal crowd...but for the rest of us The Weepies should have an honored spot in your musical rotation.

I just bought it because I liked the cover art. That's not entirely true, I did hear one of their songs on the Paste sample CD. Anyway, this is smart music; smart lyrics, smart melodies and smart writing. It's very soft, subtle music (which is where I'm at musically right now). Most of the songs focus on the vocals which means that the listener will listen to the lyrics. I can't say enough about the song "The World Spins Madly On" Blew me away when I first heard it and still does. It sounds like a Fountains of Wayne song, not to mention he sounds a little bit like Adam Slessinger. Never before have I heard a song about the world moving on while I silently sit still and think about the opportunities I've passed up, sung so well.
I also love "painting by chagall" and I don't even like Chagall's work all that much. This is the Belle and Sebastian album for people who don't like Belle and Sebastian.

A friend of mine sent me the link to this and I fell in love instantly. It's cool and soft without being boring. When I got it, I listened to it non-stop for days on end. This is not pumping, thumping club music. Nor will it incite riots amongst angst ridden teens. It's more along the lines of what it would be like if Paul Simon had a child with Shawn Colvin. It's soothing yet smart. Highly recommended for any Sunday afternoon.

The reason I bought this CD was because I heard the song "World Spins Madly On" on a TV show. It was a great acoustic/folk sound with great harmony. I found the CD a week later and haven't regretted buying it. The CD is very enjoyable. Both of the singers have unique voices that are refreshingly pleasant. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with this purchase.

to this CD. I can't get enough of it. I purchased it for the single I heard, "not your year". I quickly fell in love with "take it from me", and initially thought those were the two songs I would listen to over and over, but the rest of the CD just grew on me....the more I listened to it the more I loved it.
the lyrics are very visual and lovely and the music is a perfect compliment to the vocals.
it is worth a listen for sure and my favorite CD of 2006!

I heard The Weepies on the season finale of Everwood on the WB and loved them. I bought the album right away and have been listening ever since. Say I Am You is filled with fabulous lyrics and such an original sound...if you enjoy folk music you will want to own this album! Enjoy!

"No, nothing else will do
I've gotta have you, I've gotta have you."

Saturday morning, you are still in bed listening to the soothing comfort of Deb Talan and Steve Tannen's voices intertwined in acoustic harmonies mingling effortlessly in an uplifting sunrise of sounds.

As solo artists they both knew how to weave beautiful songs, but together a subtle magic appears and the combination of creative forces drives all the songs to new heights.

So put those blueberry or raspberry muffins in to bake and make a cup of tea. Whoops, jumped back into bed, can't get up for a little longer today. Have to stay in bed all morning listening to this dreamy intoxicating album.

"Gotta Have You" completely captures the mood of longing and dreams. With lyrics like "I thought of you..." the mood deepens into wistful memories in "World Spins Madly On."

"Painting by Chagall" is catchy and surprising wisdom appears in poetic lyrics with a modern folk-pop appeal, you can sink into the Weepies songs and actually feel a sense of elation like feeling in love.

"Living in Twilight" has a warm mood with slow sweeps of sound and intuitive lyrics. Since this was recorded in a rented cottage, some of the comfort of the surroundings have infused the music with a subtle energy. "Stars" is sweet and complex with images of velvet blue and skies of stars.

Throughout the album there is a delicate balance of songs sung by Deb Talan and Steve Tannen and when they blend their voices it gives you a high that seems unique to a few rare albums. I feel dizzy it is that good!

"And I won't be warm till I'm lying in your arms..."

~The Rebecca Review

They make me feel anything but weepy. I love virtually every song on this album. In the ipod age when you can just buy the tracks you want you may as well go ahead and buy the CD because you're going to want all the tracks. I was humming the harmony on the first listen. Does that make it predictable? Perhaps, but there is comfort in predictability. The lyrics, while folksy, aren't too predictable though. My favorite tracks are Painting by Chagall (if you aren't familiar with Chagall go look at some of his works) and Not Your Year. If you're feeling a little down and you like this genre, (reminiscent of early Everything But the Girl) this album will cheer you up. Steve and Deb offer an aural hug.

A favorite pair of shoes?
Maybe my bright red boots if they had wings?
This is what this album is: sweet, poetic light and yet profoundly deep but never heavy handed. Perfect music to listen to on a walk during a beautiful sunny day or even when you are in a bad mood. It's so easy to lose yourself in these beautiful lyrics, Deb Talan's amazing voice and Steve Tannen's deep soulful tone. It's one of those albums I never get tired of and it's often my go to when I want to listen to music but not sure what. A little weepies and you know where you want to go to next.

The whole album is great but my personal highlights: Take it from me, World Spins Madly On, Painting By Chagall, Riga Girls, Nobody knows me at all, Not Your Year and Stars. I know that's almost all of it. It's that good.