The Tarpeggios brought back a favorite guilty pleasure for many with Before He Cheats. While lead Peyton Furtado sings with enough power and gusto to get the whole tavern behind her story, a few blips create problems for The Tarpeggios.

It's been a while since I’ve heard a non-live track with tempo inconsistencies; I count the same three moments where the lead slips off the beat from her background singers in the choruses. Interestingly, the vp stays in the pocket. As the song unfolds, the mix becomes a little unbalanced, too. The beginning sounds properly controlled, but by the end the lead is at a lower level than the rest of the group. I certainly appreciate that these voices are building urgency through dynamics, but the production work needs more crafting. To be fair, we don't get to hear the raw tracks the mixers must use so perhaps the initial recordings could only take the producers so far. 

As for the arrangement and stylings, it's more choral and au natural than expected, but yet, that complements the original because a group singing extended twang rarely works. Still, we could have added a little more depth and sizzle from the production, and the intro sounds too heavy and lethargic for the spirit of the song. 

I'm sure Tarpeggios fans love to sing along with this one live. It's definitely novel to hear a retro girl-power anthem with fresh voices, but the finished recording of Before He Cheats isn't as hot as it could be.