It
is always a pleasure for me to review a new release by Tesla. They
are a truly extraordinary band, who always puts everything they have
into their music. In the twenty-five years of their existence, they
have never released a weak album in my opinion. Much of their success
can be attributed to superb songwriting, impeccable musicianship, and
the soulful, passionate vocal rasp of Jeff Keith. All of this is
perfectly displayed on their latest CD, Twisted Wires & The
Acoustic Sessions, which
came out on July 12, 2011.
As
the title implies, Twisted Wires
is another primarily acoustic album that makes an ideal companion to
Tesla's previous unplugged masterpiece, 1990's Five
Man Acoustical Jam. More
than any other band, Tesla has a remarkable ability to transform
their usually electric guitar-driven sound into a unique and workable
acoustic format without losing the vibe of the original tune. Few
others can pull that off as well as they do, and that is a true
testament to the quality of their songs. Only songs that are truly
great will still sound good when all the volume and sound effects are
stripped away. When you simply pick up an acoustic guitar and play
your songs without gimmicks or pretense, the music has
to be able to speak for itself;
in
Tesla's case, it definitely does!
Many rock bands wouldn't even
have the courage to attempt such a thing, but Tesla truly shines in
this arena. I think this is because, when it comes to their
songwriting, they have always been a band who followed their own
creativity and listened to their gut instincts. They never tried to
write “hits.” By disregarding popular musical trends, and simply
reaching inside themselves to write about what matters to them, they
have created songs that anyone with human feelings and problems can
relate to. Those are the kind of songs that stand the test of time,
the ones that become classics!
Listening
to Twisted Wires was
pure joy for me. Before its release, many fans were expressing doubts
about them being able to top their earlier triumph on Five
Man, but
for me, that was irrelevant. The two albums are entirely separate
entities. To begin with, they did not repeat any of the songs that
were on that record. With the exception of the song Hang
Tough, which
came out prior to Five Man, but
was not included on it, all
of the other acoustic versions on this one are from the albums that
came out after
that one. In
addition, there are two brand new tracks on this CD. One is called
Second Street,
and the other is entitled Better Off Without You. Both
are great, and for me, those two tracks alone make this album worth
purchasing.
The performances here are solid
in every respect. The drums and bass retain all of their energy and
fire without being overpowering, the guitar work is absolutely
stellar, and Jeff's vocals are some of his best to date! Long-time
fans will want this one in their collections, and those who are new
will find it a great introduction to the Tesla sound! This is
guaranteed to be a real treat for anyone who loves acoustic music, or
for those who just love great songs played by wonderful musicians! One listen will make you a Tesla fan for life! Prepare to be
transported!
No comments:
Post a Comment