TESLA – Homage

Homage (2026), released through Frontiers Music Srl, isn’t the first covers album that Tesla put out. They already did Real to Reel (2007) and Real to Reel, Vol. 2 (2007), which both feature covers of classic rock songs from the 1960s to 1970s, so was it really necessary to put out another covers album? Absolutely not! First of all, there’s nothing striking about the album cover. It’s a copper background with a vintage microphone stand, cigarette smoke on the side, the band logo is on the top left corner, and the album title is printed in plain font on the bottom left. It looks like one of those karaoke albums with timeless classics that can be found at any retail store. Physical media sales may have dropped since the 2000s, but it would’ve been nice if the band put some effort into the Homage album cover.

The concept of playing timeless hits that the band grew up with is a sweet and heartfelt concept, but like most covers albums, it was poorly executed. The band lineup that plays on the album includes Jeff Keith on lead vocals, Frank Hannon on guitars, keyboards, piano, organ, and backing vocals; Dave Rude on guitars, backing vocals, and bass guitar; Brian Wheat on bass guitar, keyboards, piano, and backing vocals; and Steve Brown on drums and percussion.

One Big Soup of Confusion

The album tracklist is a hot mess and makes no sense. While Real to Reel and Real to Reel, Vol. 2 cover songs from a specific time frame, Homage covers songs that range from the late 1940s (“Mind Your Own Business” by Hank Williams Sr.) to the early 1980s (“I Love You” by the Climax Blues Band). The genres include hard rock, blues, jazz, soul, R&B, and country rock. There’s nothing wrong with tackling different genres on an album, but the songs have to go together in some way so that the finished product sounds like one cohesive piece. The album starts with the only original song on the album, “Never Alone,” which has a country feel, the mood shifts for the band’s cover of “Bring It On Home to Me” by Sam Cooke, which is more bluesy, then the mood flips entirely for their version of “Spread Your Wings” by Queen, which is hard rock. Three songs from three completely different eras.

Some Things Are Better Left Untouched

The bluesy guitar work on Homage is incredible with such impeccable guitar tones, but for the ‘60s songs especially, the original studio recordings have a soulful feel to them that unfortunately is drowned out completely in the Tesla versions. Specific examples include the aforementioned “Bring It On Home to Me,” “I’d Rather Go Blind” by Etta James, and “If I Can Dream” by Elvis Presley. The original version for the latter has a big band feel with horns that perfectly captures the song’s uplifting spirit. There are songs that shouldn’t have been covered to begin with like Queen’s “Spread Your Wings” because no one can outsing Freddie Mercury and Tesla’s version sounds average, meaning they didn’t offer anything new to the song. The same can be said for their version of James Brown’s “I Got You (I Feel Good),” where they pretty much did nothing new with the song. It’s a banger that will forever be associated with Full House, but just listen to the original studio recording instead! Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” has been covered so many times and Tesla’s version was not necessary because they stayed true to the original studio recording. On the plus side, Keith’s raspy vocals fit that song perfectly.

The cover that is worth checking out is their version of “Mind Your Own Business” by Hank Williams Sr. It was originally released in 1949, so the original studio version is very outdated and old fashioned. Williams Sr.’s version is scaled back and lowkey because the technology was not great back then. Tesla beefs up the song and turns it into a southern banger with honky tonk piano melodies, a swinging groove, and lots of swagger. Tesla also get props for not covering “Sweet Home Alabama” as their Lynyrd Skynyrd song because that would’ve been a disaster. There are enough bars in Las Vegas that cover it, anyways. “The Ballad of Curtis Loew” is a Skynyrd classic and Tesla’s version is a pleasant listen.

Final Assessment

To wrap up the review, Homage is disorganized, messy, and makes absolutely no sense. The instrumentation is good, but the artists covered on the album are from odd ends of the spectrum, and Tesla didn’t make their versions stand out from the original studio recordings. However, everyone hears things differently, so if interested, give Tesla’s Homage a chance!

Album Tracklist

1. Never Alone
2. Bring It On Home to Me (Sam Cooke cover)
3. Spread Your Wings (Queen cover)
4. I Wish It Would Rain (The Temptations cover)
5. Night Moves (Bob Seger cover)
6. If I Can Dream (Elvis Presley cover)
7. Come and Get It (Badfinger cover)
8. I Got You (I Feel Good) (James Brown cover)
9. Give a Little Bit (Supertramp cover)
10. I Love You (2026 version) (Climax Blues Band cover)
11. Have You Ever Seen the Rain (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)
12. The Ballad of Curtis Loew (Lynyrd Skynyrd cover)
13. I’d Rather Go Blind (Etta James cover)
14. Mind Your Own Business (Hank Williams Sr. cover)

Band Lineup

Jeff Keith – lead vocals
Frank Hannon – guitars, keyboards, piano, organ, and backing vocals
Dave Rude – guitars, backing vocals, and bass guitar
Brian Wheat – bass guitar, keyboards, piano, and backing vocals
Steve Brown – drums and percussion

Check out the music video for “I Wish It Would Rain” from Tesla’s Homage album!