Apart from the impeccable songwriting, ‘Tender Prey’ drew me in with a seemingly spot on portrayal of southeastern America. Although I’m surrounded by buildings and can always hear the traffic on the busy street outside, I realize that I’m only a car ride away from your stereotypical southern town. The type of traditional, conservative and religious town where everyone knows one another on a first & last name basis. The first three songs particularly remind me of the old county courthouses and jails, the cautionary folktales and the battle between good and evil (God & The Devil) that is at the center of many teachings in a rural upbringing. I don’t know if this was the intent or not, but I do know that the image in my head is unmistakably that of the south.

“And I ain’t down here for your money
I ain’t down here for your love
I ain’t down here for your love or money
I’m down here for your soul”

“The Mercy Seat” is a stunning narrative through the mind of a man sitting on the electric chair. We can hear all the thoughts running through his head: the pain, the mental strain, and the belief in his own innocence until he eventually comes to grips with either his guilt or his impending death at the end. “The Mercy Seat” is an amazing seven minutes of music where each minute is more gripping than the last. “Up Jumped The Devil” again evokes this southern imagery; I can easily imagine a folktale of the devil on the jailhouse roof on a humid summer night. Although parts of “Slowly Goes The Night” may seem a bit facetious, it is an undeniably beautiful ballad while “Mercy” is a harrowing and sorrowful track.

“Tender Prey” is an extraordinary album filled with imagery as dark and blood red as the lettering on the cover. The songwriting is undeniably great and the music is expertly done through soothing ballads and ‘edge of your seat’ narratives. “Tender Prey” ranks among the best of the 1980s and has gradually become one of my personal favorites. Enjoy.

by Kyle