Tempest: Going Home

Progressive folk rock band Tempest, hailing from San Francisco, has been around since 1988 and have twelve studio albums to their credit, including their latest titled Going Home. It would seem the band has gone relatively unnoticed by the masses (often the case with the bands we review) but make no mistake, this is a hard working band, playing their music live from club to pub, county fair to casino, really any venue that isn’t a stadium. Anywhere there is a dance floor I suppose.

The album contains a mixture of traditional folk songs and original compositions beginning with the rollicking folk rock of “Mrs. Preston’s Favorite� where the electric guitar adds a little heft to the arrangement and the fiddle work is outstanding. “Jolly Roger�, written by Roger McGuinn of The Byrds, is a pirate song convincingly sung by Lief Sorbye and Lee Corbie-Wells and includes a biting guitar solo courtesy of Nikolay Georgiev. The heartfelt title track is dedicated to Lief’s mom (RIP), sung in Norwegian, and is followed by the breezy and uplifting “The Optimist�, where the music certainly does the song title justice. The Scandinavian/Celtic folk of “De Två Systrarna�, where the fiddle shines amidst a cool tempo change, and the infectious “Shepherd’s Daughter� are fine tracks as well.

Anyone who enjoys folk music, or just uplifting music in general should check out Tempest. A band that can lift your spirits and pull you out of the doldrums. Recommended.

Band members:
Lief Sorbye (lead and harmony vocals, mandoguitar, electric and acoustic mandolins, octave mandolas, harmonica, bodhran)
Adolfo Lazo (drums)
Lee Corbie-Wells (lead and harmony vocals, fiddle, hurdy-gurdy)
Nikolay Georgiev (electric guitars)
Hugh Caley (bass, harmony vocals)
Special guest and honorary band member:
Robert Berry (keyboards)

Track Listing:
1. Mrs. Preston’s Favorite (4:56)
2. Jolly Roger (5:10)
3. Hjemreise ‘Going Home’ (3:48)
4. The Optimist (3:39)
5. De Två Systrarna ‘The Two Sisters’ (6:44)
6. Shepherd’s Daughter (4:20)
7. Dark Lover ‘Song To A Vampire’ (3:03)
8. The Devil and The Farmer (3:46)
9. Dream Morris (3:27)
10. Pål Sine Høner ‘Paul’s Chickens’ (4:28)

Added: March 15th 2023
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 519
Language: english

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