Tinted Windows (album)

Tinted Windows is the eponymous debut album of James Iha's super group, Tinted Windows. The album was recorded at Stratosphere Sound Studios in New York, which Adam Schlesinger and Iha co-owned with Ivy's Andy Chase. The album was co-produced by both Iha and Schlesinger. Two songs are Iha originals: "Back With You" and "Cha Cha".

The band signed to S-Curve Records and the album was released on April 21, 2009. An appearance of the band on Late Show with David Letterman occurred on the eve of the release. The album debuted at number 59 on the Billboard 200.

Critical reception
AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the band members' combined musicianship for complementing each other and being reminiscent of 60s-70s pop-rock, singling out Taylor Hanson's vocal work as being a highlight, concluding that "Of all the guys here, he is the only one to never have performed in a guitar-heavy rock & roll band, and his thrill to be singing these sweet melodies over these big, fuzzy guitars can be infectious." Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly also commended the band's musicianship for being equal and having cohesion throughout the album, concluding that "It’s all hook-riddled, fast, and ephemeral, and if you don’t love it, your tie’s too wide." Noel Murray of The A.V. Club said that despite Hanson's voice lacking grit and the material being transparent, he praised the rest of the band for crafting strong production and hook-filled lyrics, concluding that "Whatever the intended (or actual) audience, songs as catchy and spirited as “Messing With My Head” and “Without Love” are timelessly fun." Mikael Wood, writing for Spin, said that "these bouncy, hook-crammed power-pop jams are safe and catchy enough for Jo Bros fans and Stacy’s mom alike."

Personnel

 * Tinted Windows


 * Taylor Hanson – lead vocals
 * James Iha – guitar, backing vocals
 * Adam Schlesinger – bass, backing vocals
 * Bun E. Carlos – drums, percussion


 * Production


 * James Iha, Adam Schlesinger – Producers
 * Geoff Sanoff, Mike Nesca – Recording and engineering
 * Arjun Agerwala, Rudyard Lee Cullers, Adam Tilzer – Assistant engineers
 * John Holbrook, Tom Lord-Alge – Mixing
 * George Marino – Mastering