REVIEW "Weather" by Huey Lewis and the News

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       Huey Lewis and the News is a blues and soul rock group that I feel lack the credit they deserve. They’ve released ten albums, won two Grammy’s, been nominated many times, sold over thirty million records, and most notably had their song “The Power of Love” featured in 1985’s Back to the Future, an instance that is undoubtedly responsible for catapulting them into the mainstream. Yet they don’t appear in conversation as often as Led Zeppelin or Metallica would, despite them more or less ruling blues and soul rock along with Muddy Waters during the 1970s and 80s.

This is now HL+TN's 10th studio album,
their first debuting in 1980

       Weather was released on Valentine’s Day 2020, and was the first effort the group had made since 2010. An entire decade has passed. On account of their hiatus from production, I expected more than 26 minutes and some seconds of track time; however, after reading some articles on Huey, I understood where the group was coming from. Apparently, Huey Lewis developed Ménière's disease in 2018, a disorder that results in a severe tinnitus, vertigo, and a feeling of fullness in the ear, along with losing his ability to hear, which is arguably pretty important for a musician. While tragic, knowing this made me completely rethink my opinion on many aspects of this album.       
       The project kicks off with “While We’re Young,” which quickly shows that the group is still having fun with music. The song showcases a happy-go-lucky Huey who is embracing the chances he’s been given in life and languishing that he and his significant other must “go out and have fun” while they’re young. This idea becomes increasingly wholesome when you consider that Huey Lewis is 70 years old. This track and truly the whole album makes it clear that Huey has maintained his vitality over the years. It has been 35 years since their hit pop song became emblematic of unapologetically happy-go-lucky music in Back to the Future and the group still retains that beautiful, positive sound. The final track, “One of the Boys” features a very honky-tonk influence as Huey harkens back to his youth and his introduction to music, and mentions that even “though I ain’t getting any younger, I’m a long way from done,” which becomes a more somber point knowing his physical condition.

       Additionally, there were multiple points on the album when I heard a song and I felt as if I was watching a really inviting TV show, the kind that always put a smile on everyone’s face like Full House or Friends. Listen to “I Am There for You” and listen to what he’s saying, listen to how it sounds over the chords, and maybe you’ll get The Golden Girls vibes like I did. Listen to Huey’s voice on “Hurry Back Baby” and you might be reminded of Randy Newman singing the Monk theme song.

       And though there were points in the album where Huey deals with conflict, the sound of the project is largely unaffected. On “Her Love Is Killin Me,” the delivery speeds up and slows down to supplement this idea that he’s losing control on account of this girl’s influence. He stutters. He mentions taking painkillers to cope and even says that he would nonchalantly jokes that he would “be hanging if I had some rope.” Track 5 is “Remind Me Why I Love You Again,” which featured fun moments like this:

“You don't cook
And you won't clean
You can't even operate a washing machine
Can't stand the spicy food
You like modern country, I like rhythm and blues
We're nothing in common, should we even be friends?
Remind me why I love you again”

       Aggressively smooth percussion and horns on Track 5 serve to make the track feel immensely groovy, even though Huey’s message is one that shows a disparity between him and his love interest.

       My only real problem with the album is “Pretty Girls Everywhere,” another lighthearted number featuring more carefree songs about women, but I feel like the lyrics carry a somewhat disturbing undertone:

“Everywhere I go (There's a pretty girl there)
I see a pretty girl (Pretty, pretty, pretty girl)”
“And if I make it to the beach (There's a pretty girl there)
There's a pretty girl there (Pretty, pretty, pretty girl)
You know they knock me off my feet (Woo, pretty girl)
I see the pretty girls there (Pretty, pretty, pretty girl)”
“And if I make it to the park (There's a pretty girl there)...”
“And if I make it to the show (There's a pretty girl there)...”
“And when I'm at the rodeo (Pretty, pretty, pretty girl)
They come on horses (Boogity-boogity, boogity-boogity, boogity-whoopity)”

       The whole song features just this very basic phrase being slightly morphed and repeated, with Vaudeville-esque singer filling in the lines in parantheses. And while I know the intention of the song is simply fun music from a fun group in the fun style they’ve always used, I can’t help but feel weirded out. Especially in this crazy era in time where it feels like every other month sees another male celebrity swamped by claims of sexual harassment, the idea of a 70-year-old dude looking at women at the beach and the park and the show and the rodeo and the trail makes stalking sound more probably than Huey Lewis just being a chick magnet, you know? Again, that obviously wasn’t the image that was meant to produced, and this same song two decades ago would not have had this problem, but I fear this is the one issue acts that crave longevity are faced with; by many strides, there isn’t a quota to fill for this music because this music isn’t in particularly high demand.

Final Thoughts

       I most definitely enjoyed this project considerably. Huey Lewis and the News have this formula for music making that works every time, and I definitely think the project features the same sort of sound throughout and is benefited by its short runtime, and it’s culmination felt punctual. Positive music like this helps people get through their days, and songs of theirs like “The Power of Love,” “Hip to Be Square”, and for me “Remind Me Why I Love You Again” have been instrumental in infecting people with a beautiful attitude in the long run.

Most Favorite Song: “Remind Me Why I Love You Again”

Least Favorite Song: “Pretty Girls Everywhere”

My Score: 75%