TESLA – Twisted Wires & The Acoustic Sessions

Back in the early 90’s, California Hard Rock legends Tesla helped pioneer the “unplugged” craze with their classic acoustic album Five Man Acoustical Jam. Now, 20 years later, they are back at it again, bringing another acoustic album to the forefront. Twisted Wires & The Acoustic Sessions is not a conventional album by any means. The album features five songs that were recorded back in 2005, which also serve as the final recording sessions with original guitarist Tommy Skeoch. There are also seven newly recorded tracks, including many acoustic remakes of classic Tesla songs.

The album also features two brand new Tesla recordings: “2nd Street” and “Better Off Without You”. Both are weak, mid-tempo, sleepy acoustic songs, with catchy chorus lines, and unfortunately neither song is very memorable nor falls into the realm of a classic Tesla track.

The five songs from the 2005 sessions were recorded during the Acoustic Jam tour. They were recorded in bassist Brian Wheat’s personal studio, which succumbed to fire last year. Luckily, these recordings were salvaged. The songs included are remakes of “Into The Now”, “Hang Tough”, “Edison’s Medicine”, and “Shine Away”. All are done very well. However, the real highlight is the remake of the 1980 smash hit by the Climax Blues Band, “I Love You”. Tesla does a great job of maintaining the integrity of the original song, while giving it new life as well.

The remaining five newly recorded remakes are “What You Give”, “Changes”, “A Lot To Lose”, “Caught In A Dream”, and “Song And Emotion”. The best track out of this bunch is clearly “Changes” from the Mechanical Resonance album. The song features a very melancholy piano introduction, then segues into a poignant guitar intro that sets the tone for Jeff Keith’s melodramatic vocals. The song turns out to be a very dramatic recreation of the original recording, and is done perfectly.

Playing acoustic guitar flawlessly is an art within itself. Guitarist Frank Hannon, Tommy Skeoch, and newcomer Dave Rude have mastered the art with precision. This is especially present during a faster track like “Edison’s Medicine”. Additionally, vocalist Jeff Keith’s raspy and gritty vocal style, which has defined the signature sound of Tesla, is spot on for every track. Even during the song “I Love You”, which Keith sings in a much higher key than usual, he shines through.

Overall, Twisted Wires & The Acoustic Sessions may not be the strong follow up to 2008’s Forever More that fans have been waiting for, however, Twisted Wires is a strong album on its own accord and deserves merit for both the musical quality of the acoustic work and the preservation of their classic works. Tesla continues to show off their musical diversity and remain a force to be reckoned with in this industry.