Wider is an apt name for
Tender Forever's second album. This time, Melanie Valera's songs are wider-reaching, with a bigger, more polished sound -- she's grown quite a bit as a producer since the days of
The Soft and the Hardcore, presenting her "lo-fi R&B" with more colors and twists. But even though Valera works with a more fleshed-out sound, her songs have a light touch and a sharp focus. However, her vocals still provide some K-style roughness -- at times, she's so choked with emotion, she can barely get the words out; at other times, they come rushing out with the force of new love. She flirts with '60s girl-group pop on "Nicer If They Tried"; "Folded Papers" is downright radio-friendly; and "Wider Too" piles on as many soaring vocals and choruses as can fit into just over three minutes. Though flourishes like the bright brass on "No One Will Tell No One for Sure" could overpower
Wider's songs, Valera knows when to go for a more restrained approach, as on the wearily lovely "I'm So Tired" and "So We Could Deal." For every moment of ultra-melodic pop, like the clever "Doves vs Pigeons" (which likens love and sex to those two kinds of birds), there's a moment of confession like "In the Backyard" or "Heartbroken Forever," where Valera's singing and lyrics ("there is no more words to say here, and my heavy back is hard to carry") are sweetly awkward the way that only deeply felt things can be. This tension between pop and indie, love and heartbreak makes
Wider a bittersweet but vibrant step forward for
Tender Forever. ~ Heather Phares