SWEET F.A. – Temptation [Japanese Edition] *HQ*

Last year we featured the reissue of American rockers SWEET F.A. debut album, but their second effort “Temptation” is a record you need to listen too, a bit different and for many, even better.
Again produced by expert Howard Benson who also play keyboards, on 1991’s “Temptation” SWEET F.A. created an album with a more hard rock feel like many bands from the scene did between 1990-91. There’s diverse songwriting, the vocals are more mature and overall the songs ballsy and energetic.
The CD opens with the catchy fast paced rocker “Bad Boy” which has a real gritty and sleazy feel to it, but as said, from there SWEET F.A. shows their diversity. Take as example “Storm Is Movin’ In” which has a very cinematic feel to the music. This effect is deepened with that grittier edge to singer Steven David De Long’s vocals. The song starts slow with the combined music and singing giving the song an extra dimension. Then switch to a more hard rockin’ vibe but the song still remains top notch.

“Vices” is riff driven and fresh, then “Please Oh Please” is a fantastic track, blazing out of the speakers. I’d venture to say that it is one is one of my favorites from either of the two albums.
But the next song, the ballad “Paralyzed (By You)” really shone brightly as Sweet F.A. fashioned a song that had a deeply noir-ish feel to it. I could imagine hearing this song on a dark night filled with potential for bad things, rain coming down to further depress the scene. It’s a great tune.

Paying a bit of homage to their bluesy roots, “Indiana Heart” – a midtempo groove driven track – is another track that you would love to hear over and over. Finally, if you are looking for a song that is about nothing more than pure attitude, you’ve got the balls out album closer “Reckless”. It is audio adrenaline to the Nth degree.

Though Sweet F.A. recorded just two albums, I think they had something special. It might’ve not been fully refined but had they arrived on the scene a few years earlier, the level of their success would’ve been far greater.
They might be consigned to the deepest section of the Where Are They Now section of musical memory for most people, but after listening to ”Temptation” as a follow up to ”Stick To Your Guns”, many just know that would’ve been a fan had you actually heard them when these albums had been originally released.
Highly Recommended

01 – Bad Boy
02 – Temptation
03 – Sexuality
04 – Your Love
05 – Storm Is Movin’ In
06 – Vices
07 – Please Oh Please
08 – Paralyzed (By You)
09 – Liquid Emotion
10 – ‘1800’ Ta Kill Ya Sunrise
11 – Indiana Heart
12 – Reckless
13 – Mama Told Me Not To Come

Steven David DeLong – Lead Vocals
Jon “Lightning” Huffman – Electric And Acoustic Guitars, Vocals
James Thunder – Electric And Acoustic Guitars, Vocals
Jim Quick – Bass
Tricky Lane – Drums, Percussion
with:
Howard Benson – Keyboards, Production
Jeffrey Baker – Mississippi Saxophone
Jaime Segal and Cris Post – Southern Comfort

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