TEMPEST
Another Dawn
2010 (CD, 47:06) Magna Carta PR-9104-2
Style:  Celtic Rock
Sound:  4  Composition:  4
Musicianship:  4  Performance:  4
Total Rating:  16

Stalwart Celtic rock act Tempest returns with one of its best releases to date.  
To those unfamiliar with the band led by Lief Sorbye (vocals, electric mandolin, guitar), 
know that this is prog-ish folk-rock in the vein of Jethro Tull’s Songs from the Wood 
album—folk music, Irish reels, Norwegian traditional tunes, and rock—blended into a joyous, 
toe-tapping mix. 

Michael Mullen’s fiddling is excellent as always, but the standout on this album is 
new lead guitarist James Crocker, who also contributes a good deal of the composing.  
His “Dagda’s Harp,” which begins with a gorgeous acoustic guitar sequence and escalates 
to amazing electric fiddle/guitar showmanship, will become a Tempest classic.  
Also impressive is “Jomfru,” a traditional piece with Sorbye-fueled embellishments 
that begins as a "regular song" and ends with an exhilarating instrumental whirlwind. 

Opening the album is a surprisingly winning cover of the Grass Roots’ “Let’s Live For Today,” 
which also is likely to become a Tempest standard. 

            --Raymond Benson