Tesla – Twisted Wires (2011)
Tesla is back with their latest offering Twisted Wires.
Twisted Wires offers fans acoustic versions of some of Tesla’s classic tunes. Half of the songs recorded feature former Tesla guitarist Tommy Skeoch, the other half Dave Rude.
I have to be honest, I have mixed feeling about this release. While I love Tesla, I can’t say that Twisted Wires feels like an essential release.
The two new songs “2nd Street” are “Better Off Without You” are pretty good, but I wouldn’t rate them amongst Tesla’s best works. I did like Tesla’s rendition of the Climax Blues Band’s tune “I Love You”.
The acoustic versions of the songs are good, but some of the songs lose their power by unplugging them. A perfect example is the song “Hang Tough” which I have heard hundreds of times prior to this acoustic version. This song really loses its energy without those blazing solos from Frank Hannon and Tommy Skeoch. The acoustic version isn’t bad, but it just isn’t as good. I felt that was about a few of the songs on Twisted Wires.
I did like hearing the acoustic versions of “Shine Away” and my all time favorite Tesla tune “Song and Emotion”.
Overall, Twisted Wires isn’t a bad CD, but your enjoyment of it will greatly depend on how big of a Tesla fan you are. I am a huge fan of the band, so needless to say, I will buy anything they put out. While I enjoyed this CD, I thought it was good, but not great.
It will definitely hold me over until the next Tesla CD comes out.
Rating:
Out of 10
Track Listing:
1. Into the Now
2. Hang Tough
3. 2nd Street
4. Edison’s Medicine
5. What You Give
6. Better Off Without You
7. Shine Away
8. I Love You
9. Changes
10. Lot To Lose
11. Caught In a Dream
12. Song and Emotion
Tesla is:
Jeff Keith – vocals
Brian Wheat – vocals, bass
Frank Hannon – vocals, guitar, piano
Troy Luccketta – drums, percussion
Dave Rude – guitar
Tommy Skeoch – guitar
