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Aside from the musical abomination that is Jedward, the rather niche market of twin musical acts is pretty much dominated by women. With examples being Tegan & Sara and The Veronicas, there is a fair degree of variation and The Watson Twins take up their post with their music deriving from a combination of alternative, country and folk. Mainly known for their collaboration with Rilo Kiley singer Jenny Lewis on her debut solo album Rabbit Fur Coat, the question that begs asking is whether these siblings can now establish their own musical destiny with the release of their second album.
After Rabbit Fur Coat, Chandra and Leigh Watson very quickly began to cobble together an album so that they could find new success in the wave that was sure to follow Jenny Lewis’s much awaited debut. However, the wave never actually hit (that is until Jenny Lewis’ fantastic second album Acid Tongue) and as such their first album Fire Songs never struck a chord in the public consciousness.
Having gone on tour it is good to see that The Watson Twins remain determined to succeed and as such have made a change of tactic on Talking To You, Talking To Me. Whereas on Fire Songs the sisters relied almost solely on their fantastically warm and tuneful harmonies, which inadvertently lead to a controversial cover of The Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven’, they now feel far more free to explore solo singing, with both of the sisters having a stab at it. In this way they have now added a far greater amount of variation to their music which has been previously missing.
Added to this, it is apparent that they have become more trusting of their back-up band which has now been brought to the fore as equals rather than the sisters being the only focus. This new exploration in the musical arrangements forms a great compliment to both their voices and their song-writing abilities.
However, the idea that all these changes have been sought as to bring them out of their comfort zone would be inaccurate. While there may be slight changes in instrumentation coupled with a slight genre shift, it all remains delightfully mid tempo. Why not stick to what your best at? I mean this serves them very well on album highlights ‘Harpeth River’, ‘Tell Me Why’ and ‘Savin’ You’. It is also what their fan base has come to expect from them. So why does it feel like a slight cheat that The Watson Twins dare not shift from their established sound?
This maybe me acting slightly harsh as the twins sound far more comfortable on this offering in comparison to recent releases. So maybe after they have rested from another tour of festivals and small venues we may see a third album that will blow us all away. As such Talking To You, Talking To Me has made the promise of a new direction, now it is just up to The Watson Twins to fulfil it.
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