Published on Jun 22, 1998
I remember the day I first discovered Blues Traveler. A & M
had sent me the band’s latest release at the time,
Travelers And Thieves, for review in the college newspaper.
I was having a new car radio installed, and used this tape to test
it out. And what I heard blast from my speakers threw me for an
absolute loop. Was this band using a
harmonica as a lead instrument? I was hooked instantly.
It’s been seven years since
Travelers And Thieves came out, and while there are still
some chunky servings on this album that leave you wanting more,
there are just as many moments that stretch out far too long.
The sonic cloud starts building with “The Tiding,” a
ninety-second wave of noise that works its way into a frenzy and
collapses just as the next song, “Onslaught,” kicks off. John
Popper’s vocals and harmonica work immediately provide this band
with its unique voice – rough but gentle at the same time.
Guitarist Chan Kinchla could be one of the most underrated
guitarists of this decade, while the rhythm section of bassist
Brendan Hill and drummer Bobby Sherman are one of the strongest
backbones of trippy-rock this side of the Grateful Dead.
For the better part of
Travelers And Thieves, Blues Traveler builds on the solid
foundation they laid with their debut album. Cuts like “Ivory
Tusk,” “I Have My Moments,” “Sweet Pain” and “All In The Groove”
demonstrate that this band knows not only how to write a good
groove but how to deliver it with maximum potency.
And though it has been seven years since I first melted to this
tape, Popper’s harmonica gymnastics still excite me and wow me.
I’ve heard harmonica work in music for a good portion of my life,
and there have even been some examples of one-note-at-a-time
playing that have stood out. But Popper takes his harmonicas and
puts them through a workout that would make Jane Fonda head for the
nearest Baskin-Robbins; some of the things he is able to wrench out
of these pieces of metal I would have thought were against the laws
of physics.
The difficulty with
Travelers And Thieves, however, is in the exact same area
where their strength lies. For every strong cut on the album, there
is a corresponding weak one. I can’t explain why “Onslaught” and
“What’s For Breakfast” don’t tickle my fancy the way that “I Have
My Moments” and “Optimistic Thought” do; somehow, the magic just
isn’t there.
“All In The Groove” is a decent enough track, but as a leadoff
single, it just didn’t have the punch to propel this band forward.
Even today, some of the references (such as being able to “dance
like M.C. Hammer”) are a bit jaded in trivia.
Often, the strain of the album is evident on the times the band
sits back and kicks out the jams. “Mountain Cry” (featuring Gregg
Allman) and “Support Your Local Emperor” seem to fall flat from the
moment the tracks kick off, and the longer they stretch out, they
don’t get any better. Too bad. (An exception to the rule is “Sweet
Pain,” which is magical from the get-go, length be damned.)
Oh, it’s not that
Travelers And Thieves is a bad album; I still found it
entertaining to listen to. But for the latest generation of fans
who are looking for another “Run-Around,” they’re going to be a
little discouraged by this one – namely, ’cause it challenges you
to think a bit. If only the band had provided that luxury for
themselves on a couple of these tracks – a little more brain power
in the songwriting phase could have tightened up a couple of the
weak cogs in the wheel.