''Tenement Angels'' is an album by the American musician

Scott Kempner Scott "Top Ten" Kempner (February 6, 1954 – November 29, 2023) was an American rock musician who was the rhythm guitarist of The Dictators. He was also a founding member of The Del-Lords and later a member of The Brandos. Background and car ...

, released in 1992. Kempner supported the album by touring with

Jason & the Scorchers Jason & the Scorchers, originally Jason & the Nashville Scorchers, are a cowpunk band that formed in 1981 and are led by singer-songwriter Jason Ringenberg. With a sound that combines punk rock and country music, Jason and the Scorchers are not ...

Production

Recorded in Missouri, the album was produced by Lou Whitney, Manny Caiati, and Scott Kempner. Kempner was backed by the Skeletons, a roots rock band; Caiati, Kempner's bandmate in

the Del-Lords The Del-Lords were an American rock and roll band that formed in New York City in 1982,Cocks, Jay; L., ElizabethMusic: Where the Lifeline Is ''Time''. August 4, 1986. Retrieved November 9, 2010 founded by The Dictators' guitarist Scott Kempner. ...

, contributed bass parts. The album contains a cover of "

(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet "(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet" is a song written by Bob Hamilton and Freddie Gorman, first made famous by the 1964 hit recording by the Reflections. The song is the first person narrative of a young man who plans to find a job so that he can buy ...

", by the Reflections.

Critical reception

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' thought that, "like Chuck Berry's, Kempner's lyrics seem at first glance to concern nothing more complicated than cars, girls and street corners, but like Berry's, Kempner's songs are full of sly humor and satiric commentary." ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' wrote that, "consistent with his work in the Del-Lords, the album has an easygoing urban roots-rock sound—'60s AM radio given a heartland kick, a taste of country and a little musical poetry." The ''

St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the '' Belleville News-Democra ...

'' praised "the outstanding drumming of Bobby Lloyd Hicks, who has rarely been given so many chances to power a band in the way that he and only a few others can do." ''

Stereo Review ''Sound & Vision'' was an American magazine, purchased by AVTech Media Ltd. (UK) in March 2018, covering home theater, audio, video and multimedia consumer products. Before 2000, it had been published for most of its history as ''Stereo Review' ...

'' determined that "Kempner gets a crateload of rapport and expertise from the Skeletons ... enabling him to come up with a modest rock-and-roll classic... The emphasis is on 'modest', as Kempner achieves the companionable naturalism that eludes Springsteen, Seger, and all the other well-intended overreachers." The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' concluded that "Kempner heads deeper into back-to-basics rock territory, uses the trip for some personal exploration as well and, when you fear things might get a bit too heavy, tosses in some great old throw-away pop." ''

The State A state is a political entity that regulates society and the population within a definite territory. Government is considered to form the fundamental apparatus of contemporary states. A country often has a single state, with various administrat ...

'' described ''Tenement Angels'' as "Fender guitars, Vibralux amps, biker boots and a pounding back beat." The ''

Rocky Mountain News The ''Rocky Mountain News'' (nicknamed the ''Rocky'') was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. the Monday–Friday ...

'' opined that "the musical/lyrical inspirations range from Booker T. and the MG's and the Beach Boys to AC/DC and Allen Ginsberg... It all works effortlessly." '' MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide'' deemed the album "bar-band magic."

Track listing

Personnel

;The Skeletons *D. Clinton Thompson, Scott Kempner - guitar, vocals *Lou Whitney - bass, vocals *Joe Terry, Kelly Brown - keyboards, vocals *Bobby Lloyd Hicks - drums, percussion, vocals with: *Jim Wunderle - backing vocals *Manny Caiati - bass on "I.C.U.", "Lonesome Train", "Do You Believe in Me?" and "I Wanna Be Yours"

References

{{Authority control Scott Kempner albums 1992 debut albums Razor & Tie albums