Tears For Fears has long been a favorite band of mine, and before I get on
with this review, I just want to thank Mr. England for stepping aside and
letting me take a crack at this one. He too is a big fan, and I got the
idea that I will be slightly more favorable in this review than he would
have been.

While I like Tears For Fears' early stuff (which would go on to be
synonymous with the 80's due to hits like "Shout", "Everybody Wants to Rule
the World" and "Sowing the Seeds of Love"), it wasn't until after Curt
Smith's departure and the 1993 release of Elemental that chief songster
Roland Orzabal really struck a chord with me. I absolutely love that record
and ranked it high among my favorite albums of the decade. With it's
sweeping, lush melodies, and an almost instantly hummable collection of
stunning pop songs, it was an album that would make even The Beatles proud.

Orzabal would lay low for a while before releasing Raoul and the Kings of
Spain, a well intentioned if slightly disappointing follow up to Elemental.
He would then release his first solo album, the excellent Tomcats Screaming
Outside, in 2001. While I liked both of these records, neither of them came
close to duplicating the craftsmanship on display on Elemental.

Shortly after Tomcats low profile release, rumors began swirling that
Orzabal and Smtih were considering joining up again. After much speculation,
the two musicians did in deed get back together and Everybody Loves a Happy
Ending is the end result.

Unfortunately, the album isn't what I'd hoped for and it suffers from (as Kyle
so perfectly puts it) sounding too much like Tears For Fears. This release
is terribly labored and tries far too hard to rekindle that old magic that
made the band a household name. Does this mean I hate the album? Not at
all. Does it make me a little sad that the CD is disappointing? You bet.

Why doesn't this record work as a whole? I mean if you think about it, all
the ingredients for success are there. We have a passionate Orzabal (whose
voice continues to amaze me), a returning Smith and all those infectious
Beatles inspired hooks. For whatever reason though, much of this CD is
pretty dull.

The opening title track is decent enough I suppose, although the opening
beat reminds me a bit of the Sesame Street theme song (Wilco pulls a similar
stunt with track number five on their new record). Still, it's catchy enough
and glides along in a fashion that suggests Sgt. Pepper himself conducted
the arrangement. The second track, "Closest Thing to Heaven," doesn't fare
as well. I like the way it opens, but it lost me midway when Orzabal and
Smith croon the title of the song. I don't know. It's just sounds a little
silly to me.

"Call Me Mellow" is a cool tune even if during the main course it does sound
a little too much like "There She Goes" (by the La's). I can forgive it for
that because it's a pretty infectious song.

"Last Days on Earth" is a lovely ballad, but I couldn't shake the shades of
Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" early on in the tune. For whatever reason, I
couldn't get past that.

Clearly the best track on Everybody Loves a Happy Ending is the perfectly
sublime "Secret World". It's the one song on the whole record that I could
listen to over and over and not get tired of. And therein lies the problem.
There aren't enough "Secret World's" on this album.

As was the case with Sowing the Seeds of Love, only half of Everybody Loves
a Happy Ending is worth recommending. The big difference between "Sowing"
and this outing however, is that the good half of that record was
outstanding. The decent songs here are merely passable with only hints of
greatness.

Still, I admire the epic sensibility that Orzabal and Smith bring to the
creative table, even if current acts like The Flaming Lips and Polyphonic
Spree have found more interesting ways to put their own contemporary spin on
a similar style.

This album really could have used an Oleta Adams guest spot. Her work on
"Woman in Chains" and "Me and My Big Ideas" were truly something to admire.
Ironically, it's Smith that the album could really use less of. I happen to
think that Orzabal's best work was Elemental, Raoul and the Kings of Spain,
and Tomcats Screaming Outside, and Smith wasn't a part of those efforts. I
certainly don't hate the guy, but perhaps these two musicians are better off
apart.

I still love this band (particularly Orzabal) and wouldn't call their latest
release a waste. I would say that Everybody Loves a Happy Ending is an
inappropriate title, for at the most, it only feels like a two minute hand
job without a release. I suppose though, that two minutes is better than
nothing.