Weezer is an awesome band that formed in California back in 1992. The band consists of Rivers Cuomo on lead vocals and lead guitar, Patrick Wilson on drums, Brian Bell on backup vocals and keyboards, and Scott Shriner on bass. You might know of this band from such songs as "Say It Ain't So", "Buddy Holly", and "Hash Pipe". Well, they're back. They dropped a surprise album on January 24th of 2019. It's their fifth self-titled album (as well as their twelfth album overall, but, given the color of the artwork, it's adopted the name The Teal Album. The biggest shock, in my opinion, is the fact that this is a cover album. The Teal Album features ten songs, ranging from ELO to Black Sabbath. Was it worth the surprise? Well, let's find out.
Track #1: "Africa"
This album opens with an incredible cover of "Africa" by Toto. After a Twitter account that goes by the handle @weezerafrica started getting a lot of traction, it prompted Weezer to release a cover of "Rosanna" by Toto as a joke (but it was still a good cover). However, a few days later, they did indeed bless the rains down in Africa. It was clearly done as a meme, but that doesn't mean that this isn't a fantastic cover. Cause it is! It really is! I can't say much about the songwriting with this album, given how it's covers, so I'll skip that for now. Weezer does a marvelous job with this song. They maintain the spirit of the original while also doing it in their usual, familiar style (rather than just redoing the song beat by beat). Rivers' voice shines in the chorus, due to the fact that they drop the notes down a key. I can imagine belting out the high notes in the original key wouldn't be good for your voice, so it was good thinking that they dropped it down. The instrumental sounds great. The electric guitars sound awesome, Bell really nails the keyboard part here, and there's even an accordion solo in the middle. It has a solid mixture of old and new in it, if that makes sense at all. It probably doesn't, but that's okay. It's "Africa", one of the greatest songs ever written, made even better by Weezer with this cover. Oh, and the music video is the best thing I've seen all year. Weird Al Yankovic dressed up as Rivers Cuomo is oddly accurate. The only thing that would have made it better is if Rivers had jumped onto the scene dressed up like Weird Al for the accordion solo.
Track #2: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
Moving on, Weezer tackles "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears. This one's much more of a straightforward cover than "Africa" was, which is fine. They don't change much of the instrumental aside from a few harmonic distorted guitars in the background. Everything else sounds more of less exactly like it did in the original aside from minute changes. I don't mind it as much here because it still feels like Weezer. It feels more like a tribute than a cover. Either way, it's a great rendition! As it was with "Africa" Weezer's rendition of this Tears for Fears classic keeps the spirit of the original while also oozing with the traditional Weezer style. They nail the classic acoustic guitar opening, while also adding a really cool electric guitar part to the chorus. Cuomo's voice once again sounds great, but, if I had to nitpick, he doesn't always sound interested in what he's singing. He gets more into it in the chorus, cause that's the most famous part of the song, but the verses sound like he's phoning it in. It's still a good sound, though. Overall, I greatly enjoyed this rendition.
Track #3: "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
From one classic to another, Weezer gives an electric cover of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics. The last famous cover of this song was from Marilyn Manson back in 1995, but Weezer's version is closer to the original than Manson's was. I like both, if we're being completely honest, but I'm not reviewing Marilyn Manson, so we'll save him for another day. Weezer drops the whole song down to a lower key, which sounds really cool. Then instrumental to this rendition sounds outstanding, the best-sounding one of the whole album so far. If you've heard the original song, you'll know that the lyrics consist of the same four lines being repeated over and over again. That's easy to be annoyed by, but Weezer manages to keep your interested for the entire three and a half minute runtime. True, Eurythmics did the same thing 26 years ago in the original, but it's commendable that Weezer managed to emulate that with a cover. I'm usually not the biggest fan of lyric repetition (just read my review of Origins by Imagine Dragons for an example), but I'll "Sweet Dreams" a pass regardless of who sings it. It's an awesome song. And, good golly, Rivers knocks it out of the park in the vocals department. He sounds so good! The backup harmonies sound awesome, the vocalizations sound great. Weezer nailed this song. It's gonna be pretty hard to top as we move forward.
Track #4: "Take On Me"
I stand corrected. This is the best instrumental (and overall track) on the album so far. Weezer takes on one of my personal favorite songs, "Take On Me" by a-ha. Move over NSP, you've been topped. Rather than just recreating the instrumental like what most covers do, Weezer completely reinvents it in their own style. And it sounds awesome! They still keep the keyboard part, cause it's law that you have to, but they add in heavy electric guitars, synths, and there's even an acoustic breakdown when the third verse happens (which I greatly appreciated). Vocally, Rivers was great. Once again, the key is dropped down in this rendition. This allows Cuomo to really flex his golden pipes, which he does greatly in the chorus. He nails the infamous high note at the end of each chorus, and does so pitch perfect every time. The rest of the song sounds great, too. Good emotion, solid enunciation, great pitch. It's really solid vocal work from Rivers. Say what you want about Weezer as a group, but no one can deny how great Cuomo's voice is. I love the instrumental, too, I can't stress that enough. It came together beautifully. I love the original song, and I love this cover almost just as much.
Track #5: "Happy Together"
Officially at the halfway point, Weezer gives us a rendition of "Happy Together" by The Turtles. Like the others, it's a good rendition. This has been a very solid album so far, with only a few minor complaints from me. For this one, Weezer keeps the spirit of the original a little bit more than the others. That isn't a bad thing, though. I enjoy the soothing tunes of the original, Weezer just made it a bit better by adding in their usual style. I know I've been saying that a lot, but I just find it so charming that I can't not bring it up. Cuomo's voice is so good here, it's like he was born to sing this song. Except for the first time he sings the title. Sounded like his voice cracked on that first "-ther". His voice sounded great everywhere else, though. I do have a gripe, though: The mixing on the chorus is not very good. The music is too loud, drowning out the vocals. It's such a shame, too, cause the chorus of "Happy Together" is one of the catchiest and most well-known that's ever been written. What we can hear sounds great, but the sudden change in the music's volume is really jarring when compared to the rest of the sound. It's still a great cover, regardless.
Track #6: "Paranoid"
Talk about a tonal shift. We went from "Happy Together" to friggin' Black Sabbath. I never would've thought that Weezer would cover a Black Sabbath song, but their take on "Paranoid" is here and it's actually pretty good all things considered. The singing, for a nice change of pace, is done by Brian Bell, instead of Rivers Cuomo. I'm not entire sure if that's Bell's natural singing voice, but it sounds an awful lot like Ozzy Osbourne's, so I'll give it a pass (since it's a Black Sabbath song). It fits. The instrumental sounds awesome, too. Bouncy, rhythmic electric guitars, a nice and groovy drum part, Weezer really nailed the music here. Bell's voice is a nice contrast to it all, and I greatly enjoyed all the guitar solos. They sounded really good. And, can I just say, regardless of how you feel about the band's music, "Black Sabbath" is one of the coolest band names I've ever heard. That is all, moving on.
Track #7: "Mr. Blue Sky"
This one'll make my Dad happy. It's "Mr. Blue Sky", by the Electric Light Orchestra (more commonly known as "ELO", for short). This one of the best covers on this record by far. Rivers returns to the mic with a bang, giving us some of the best vocals we've ever heard from him. And the backing vocals are stellar, too. ELO is known for their harmonies, and Weezer absolutely nails them with their rendition of "Mr. Blue Sky". All four members of the band came together for the vocals on this one, and it is one of the best things I've ever heard. The harmonies are beautiful here, especially at the end of the song. The instrumental sounds great, as well. I don't know whether it was Cuomo or Bell that did the famous guitar solo in the middle, but they nailed it. This cover makes me feel happy. I like it a lot. Oh, and the line "Mr. Blue, you did it right, but soon comes Mr. Night" is gonna be really funny when The Black Album comes out in March. Hopefully, it'll live up to it.
Track #8: "No Scrubs"
Well, this was unexpected: Weezer covering a TLC song. For those that don't know, TLC is a music group that consists of three women (Tionne "T-Boz Watkins, Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes, and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas). Sadly, in 2002, Lopes passed away in a car crash while she was working on her second solo album. Weezer performing one of TLC's signature songs is a great way to honor the fallen talent. Weezer does a great job with their rendition of "No Scrubs". I'm really happy that they didn't change the pronouns. Usually, when a male singer covers a female-sung song, they'll change any pronouns heard in the lyrics in order to make it more male-oriented. Jack White didn't do that when The White Stripes covered Dolly Parton's "Jolene", and Rivers didn't do that with "No Scrubs". I'm really happy about that. The instrumental sounds really good, as does Cuomo's voice. Something about Rivers saying "scrub" in his distinctive voice cracks me up. I don't know why. Unfortunately, the drowning out music comes back in this song for the bridge. It isn't as noticeable as it was in "Happy Together", but the guitars were still a little too loud in contrast to the vocals. All in all, the fact that this cover exists at all is really cool, I gotta give props where it's due.
Track #9: "Billie Jean"
Right off the bat, I'd like to thank Weezer for giving me a whole new appreciation of this song. I liked it already, but hearing Weezer breathe a more modern life into "Billie Jean" was incredible. Also, hearing Rivers say "hee" and "hoo" the way Michael Jackson would is probably the best thing I've heard all year so far. I loved this cover. The instrumental was perfect for this song. A wonderful tribute to the King of Pop, that also had the usual Weezer style to it. The drum part was spot on, major props to Patrick Wilson. The guitar notes that we hear after Rivers sings "The kid is not my son" give me a "Beat It" vibe, I'm not entirely sure why. And, once again, Cuomo's voice was very good. He has a great falsetto, so it was nice to hear him show it off with songs like this one and "Take On Me". He sounds at his best in the chorus, and he appears to be doing a slight MJ impression in the verses. I don't know if he is or not, some of the notes and pronunciations sound like it and others don't. Either way, I like it. They did a very good job with this song. Michael would be proud if he was around to hear it.
Track #10: "Stand By Me"
For the last track on the album, Weezer gives a truly stunning rendition of "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King. Like with the rest, they do a great job with it. The instrumental has a nice groove to it, as do the vocals. It comes together nicely. Cuomo's voice sounds very good here. Good energy, good emotion, he sounds into it. The harmonies during the guitar solo sounded heavely. The whole song is mixed very well, not once does one part overpower the other. I especially love the drum and guitar parts. They sound so cool. This was a good way to end the album. Rivers's voice added a nice level of power to the lyrics, the instrumental was smooth and catchy, it flowed well, it was easy on the ears. This album was good, and it's nice to hear that it went out on a high note.
The Teal Album was very good. A solid, diverse tracklist, great instrumentals, good energy with the vocals (for the most part), good mixing (for the most part). I really enjoyed this. I can see why some critics didn't and why some fans wouldn't, but I certainly did. And, with it being a surprise release, I can safely say that it was a welcome one. Weezer really outdid themselves with this one. Now we just need to wait until March 1st for The Black Album. I think it'll be good. But, yeah, this record rocked. I'm gonna give it a 9. Also, if you're not following Rivers on Instagram, then what are you doing with your life? He posts a lot of funny memes on there, so I greatly recommend giving him a follow if you haven't already. It's worth it just for his bio.
