A few years ago, I watched a movie from the early Nineties. I had seen this movie many times, but it looked a lot different. Why - because everything about the movie was so simple-the dialogue, the setting, the special effects, and hardly any technology!
In hearing Tesla’s newly released CD, Simplicity, I felt the same way. Not only with the simple fact (no pun intended) that it’s Tesla, some good ol’ rock & roll, but the lyrics to some of the songs are about the simpler, finer things in life.
“Reaching out to a friend in need means more than a text from a cell phone screen,” as heard in “MP3”-not to mention the almost-funny sound effect intro of the cracking and popping of a vinyl record. “Appreciate each drop of blood, sweat, and tears” in “Till That Day.” The “simple man” in “Honestly”-Lynyrd Skynyrd meets Stryper. They teeter on being spiritual in “So Divine” and “Life is a River.”
“Other Than Me”-a “Love Song” sequel, their connection to their underrated power ballad. Another like song is “Cross My Heart.” In “Flip Sid,” you’ll realize there’s nothing finer than being a non-conformist to today’s society and a bass intro - also heard in “Sympathy.”
If I had to say anything critical about this CD, it’s the layout of it. I appreciate the band wanting to share with fans the “Writing Demo Versions” of “Honestly” and “Burnout to Fade,” but I can’t understand why one is back to back, the other several tracks apart.
Moreover, they don’t neglect or fail to deliver their edgier songs. To have “Time Bomb” as the first song is more than enough for lifelong fans to know they still have it and then some. “Sympathy” and “Break of Dawn” are two equally killer songs, including a subtle f-bomb in the latter.
But what got my attention was “Ricochet”! Grand Funk Railroad must have been the last one to sing something like that in “American Band.” Yes, you’re right; it’s been a long time. I hope with that song, rock can come back to the way it was. As a Facebook wall photo says: I may be old, but I got to see all the cool bands.
Then it dawned on me I wasn’t listening to this on a tape or a CD; I cued it up on YouTube. May my journey of a simple life with Tesla go through the various forms of media through the next twenty-odd years!
Julia Pope, HMS
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