Be My Thrill

Personnel: Deb Talan, Steve Tannen (vocals, guitar, Wurlitzer organ, keyboards); Meg Toohey (electric guitar); Brad Gordon (piano, organ, Wurlitzer organ, Mellotron); Frank Lenz (drums, percussion).
Audio Mixer: Ryan Freeland.
Illustrator: Deb Talan.
Photographer: Robert Sebree.
Like an earthier version of Sixpence None the Richer, the Weepies brew up a sound that's part Lilith Fair throwback, part coffeehouse folk, and part NPR-approved pop. Be My Thrill, the duo's third album, continues the same thread the Weepies have been spinning since their 2003 debut, with acoustic guitars and light boy/girl harmonies taking most of the spotlight. Deb Talan and Steve Tannen sing these songs like they're performing for their two-year-old son; their voices are soft and casual, their melodies whimsical, the arrangements tight and textured but rarely, if ever, overpowering. The song titles alone give away the album's cheery vibe -- "I Was Made for Sunny Days," "Be My Thrill," "Be My Honeypie" -- and even the titles that sound like sad ballads ("Hard to Please," "They're in Love, Where Am I?") are played with all the sunny cheer of a CW network TV soundtrack. There are drums here, but they share their time-keeping duties with tambourines, hand claps, and other light percussion; there are electric guitars, too, but they never take the spotlight. Instead, the focus is on homespun material, the sort of folk/pop fare that could be played on acoustic instruments around a campfire, and those who liked the Weepies' past albums will find more to enjoy here. ~ Andrew Leahey