The last month of the year is officially halfway over. Even with a little more than 15 days left in the year, there is still so much music out there vying for people’s attention, including in the community of music’s smallest records, the EPs. Tesla is just the latest act to join that community, having released its new EP, All About Love late last month. The 6-song record proves worth hearing at least once, even with the EP’s title track making up the majority of its body. This will be discussed shortly. ‘From The Heart,’ one of the two other songs featured in the record makes for its own interest. The group’s live performance of the James Gang’s ‘Walk Away’ is the technically third song featured in the EP. It is worth its own notice and will also be discussed later. All things considered, this EP proves itself a presentation that the most devoted Tesla fans will appreciate.
All About Love, the recently released EP from Tesla, is an interesting offering from the veteran rock band. Having been released exclusively on vinyl for Record Store Day late last month, the 6-song record is honestly more a maxi-single than EP. That is because the majority of the record is composed of different takes of its title track. A studio take of the song opens the record. It is complimented by separate live and acoustic takes of the song, as well as a remix of the track. Again having a record comprised of so many takes of one song is typically considered more a single than an EP, but that is getting too much into the weeds here. The studio recording of ‘All About Love’ is a gentle, flowing composition that honestly conjures thoughts of songs from Mr. Big, to be frank. That is meant in a positive fashion. The song’s acoustic take deepens the song’s impact, actually adding a certain warmth to the presentation. The band’s live performance of the song is enjoyable but is ultimately pretty much like the studio take, only on stage. There is not a lot of difference between the two takes. In regard to the song’s “Hybrid Mix,” it essentially blends acoustic and full electric elements into one whole for what is the best take of the song. It makes sense, to that end, that it is placed as the EP’s final track. It shows the growth and change, the creative process through which it took to reach that point.
While ‘All About Love’ makes up the majority of Tesla’s new EP, it is not the only song featured in this record. The EP features two other songs among its body, one of which being ‘From The Heart.’ The song is a nod to the band’s 1987 song, ‘Love Song,’ which is featured in the band’s album, The Great Radio Controversy.’ ‘From The Heart’ barely tops the two-minute mark, clocking in at two minutes, 10 seconds and is a completely instrumental composition. It is clearly classically influenced and is such a stark, welcome contrast to ‘All About Love’ in its sound and style. That sound and stylistic approach’s similarity to that of ‘Love Song’ is definitely clear in putting the songs side by side. Though the former is definitely far more 80s in its approach. It can easily be compared to so many big hair ballads of the era where ‘From The Heart’ is more just a straightforward composition that is so engaging and entertaining in its simplicity. In other words as much as it is similar to ‘Love Song’ it is just as much unlike that song and in a good way. It is just as much unlike ‘All About Love’ in a very welcome way, too.
The live take of the James Gang’s ‘Walk Away’ is the “heaviest” of the EP’s entries. The band’s performance of this pure guitar rock composition is a fun work that is sure to engage and entertain listeners in its own right. Tesla’s band members keep true to the song’s source material in performing this timeless southern rock opus, which was part of the guitar rock movement that made the 1970s the last truly great age of rock. That applies right down to the rocking guitar solo which gets even more attention in this take. All things considered here, the band’s live take of ‘Walk Away’ is just as much a welcome addition to All About Love as ‘From The Heart’ and the “Hybrid Mix” When all of this is considered along with the other takes of ‘All About Love,’ the whole makes All About Love in general a work that the most devoted Tesla fans will appreciate the most. It makes the EP one more interesting addition to this year’s field of new EPs.
All About Love, the latest EP from Tesla, is an interesting offering from the veteran rock band. The band’s new EP proves itself worth hearing in large part because of the varied takes of its title track that make up the majority of the record. Its “Hybrid Mix” is the most standout of those takes. The fully instrumental ‘From The Heart’ pairs well with the song what with its classically influenced sound, as does the band’s cover of ‘Walk Away,’ which stays true to its source material. All things considered they make All About Love a presentation that Tesla’s most devoted audiences will love.
All About Love is available now. More information on the EP is available now along with all of Tesla’s latest news at:
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