4 out of 5 stars
As song titles, "Blonde Dressed In Black" and "6 Days Out Of 7" are good in every way and they somehow betray the character of the songs themselves. They are very simple titles that linger and make you curious about the rest of the story.  Strum & Drag by The Tempers is full of songs that are not only catchy but also carry compelling narratives backed by a solid roots rocking sound! For example, "She Sent Me Home Laughing" has traces of a pub rock sound and notice that little guitar line in "Ingenue" slowly building up the song, almost as if Lou Reed was sitting in. The soulful "A Little Bit Closer" with its organ and harmonica accompaniment is reminiscent of the best of Graham Parker. "I Can't Say Where" goes straight down Rock & Roll's rusty rails and "Is This A House Or A Ruin" sways moodily down a lonely moonlit mile. All great stuff.

- AltCountry Netherlands


When I saw the cover of this CD I was put on the wrong track and expected a traditional country or rock CD, genre Wanda Jackson or Patsy Cline. On the contrary, the band combines contemporary roots rock with arty, well-thought-out, poetic lyrics. The photos on the cover and inner sleeve are just one example of Mattei's work in which he shows fringe figures and eccentrics from society. Those fringe figures also come up in his music on "Strum & Drag" (nice pun by the way). Mattei is a great songwriter. Take "Ingenue" for example, a song that immediately sticks with you with its strong melody line, just like the following "A Little Bit Closer". His subjects are small reflections of everyday life, themes such as boredom in "6 days out of 7", or loneliness in "Ghost Town", or the rocking "Take Your Hands Of My Baby"; a song as the Stones might have written in their early days. Like the rest of the CD, this track has a raw, almost live sound. "Strum & Drag" is intense and stays with you for a long time.

- Rootstime Belgium


Over the past couple of decades, Mattei has released a truly stunning amount of material, the majority of which would fit comfortably in the catalog of just about any major or indie label sympathetic to his brand of twang and burn.
Mattei and his like-minded band of gypsies, The Tempers, show off their estimable chops once again on their latest epistle, Strum and Drag. If Bob Dylan references were negotiable bank instruments, Mattei would be richer than God and Bill Gates. Strum and Drag is sure to generate even more Dylanesque chat with shambling roadhouse rockers like “Mother of One” and “Take Your Hands Off My Baby.” Typically, Mattei transcends the Dylan references with his wide-ranging songwriting skills and the sinewy and superb accompaniment of The Tempers (bassist W.J. Grapes, drummer Mike Grimm, harpist Rick Howell and album guests like pedal-steeler Kenny Holycross, saxophonist Ben Walkenhauer, keyboardist Ricky Nye and bassist Bob Nyswonger, among others). “Ingenue” hints at a slinky Lou Reed vibe, “She Sent Me Home Laughing” and “Ghost Town” shimmer and shudder with Neil Young’s quiet intensity and “A Little Bit Closer” taps into Van Morrison’s Pop/Soul swing. But for all the sonic reference points, Strum and Drag simply points up the performers’ amazing ability to inhabit a new, original song and invest it with a perfect sense of classicism and easy familiarity.

- Brian Baker / City Beat


So as not to beat around the bush, Strum & Drag by Maurice Mattei and his Tempers is simply a gem. Maurice is a master songwriter, each song a marvel of writing, balanced, fine and powerful. An artist in the noblest sense of the word, who uses various styles of music - Folk, Roots, Country, Blues or Rock - as a vehicles for stories. A truly unique talent. The 14 songs on this album are all reasons why Maurice Mattei should finally be recognized as a great among the great.

- Eric Supparo / Cri Du Coyote (France)