Not sure if anyone has yet said anything quite this whimsical about Tornado Sky, the heartfelt and poetic, vocally exquisite folk/country duo of Jerry Careaga and Stephanie Gladhart, who distilled their 20 years of songwriting collaborations into their 2023 debut album Deluge of Hurt and The Rough and the Wild, their new collection that rolls like a fascinating heart play mosaic.
So here goes. With Careaga’s laid back vocal charm and Gladheart’s sweet yet powerful intonations and otherworldly harmonies, their beautiful, thoughtful and hard hitting, lyrically insightful songs sound like someone found some incredible outtakes of a never released duet album by Kenny Rogers and Carnie and Wendy Wilson.
That said, it’s also significant that Tornado Sky’s promo material focuses on their contemporary update on the classic Laurel Canyon sound and the musical, harmonic and lyrical brilliance of The Rough and the Wild’s 11 songs rather than Careaga’s storied past of writing tunes for the likes of Michael Martin Murphey and The Bellamy Brothers and the various major labels he recorded for in his previous creative life. It’s obviously to ensure that listeners focus on the songs themselves without any airs or expectation. And they deliver big time.
The gentle, dreamy opening title track transports us to the rim of the Grand Canyon where two souls overcome their fears of falling in love. Another gem of a ballad is “Drown in Your Love,” where we’re reassured that a desire to fall deeper in love transcends the muck of life – the “empty tank,” the “tough roads” and dreams that have yet to come true and others that “done sank.” No song embodies this defiant spirit of enduring hope amidst life’s obstacles than the country rock-fired “Beautiful Now,” a romantic “seize the day” jam on steroids which features Careaga on lead and Gladhart’s ever-shimmering harmonies gracing us with passionate lines like “Here we are living it now/Giving it all somehow, making it thru/Dreams and scars, music from old guitars/Into the beautiful chaos/into the beautiful now.”
Most of the tunes are about overcoming the challenges life throws at those trying to make love last forever despite some detours and tough choices. Yet including a rollicking gem with a pointed message like “Unconditionally” finds the duo acknowledging that even strong love can be fragile and that creeping jealousy can be its kryptonite if we’re not careful. Can’t wait to hear more from this amazing duo!
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