Blues Traveler Albums (13)
'North Hollywood Shootout'
Release Date 8/26/2008
Tracks 10
Label Verve Forecast
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Unlike so many of their jam band peers in the '90s, Blues Traveler had a genuine Top Ten hit with 1995's "Run-Around" -- and unlike the Spin Doctors, their only possible rival in the jam band single race, they didn't implode after their success; they kept rolling, staying on the road and churning out record after record until they faded from the charts. The hits stopped coming and the major-label contract ceased, developments that made the group seem like old-fashioned journeymen, a working band delivering on the promise of its name. On record, this meant they ran lean and sometimes experimental, cutting back to basics on The Bridge and stretching out on Bastardos!, moves that pleased fans. But a switch apparently flipped within the group, and Blues Traveler decided they had spent enough time playing for the faithful, so they signed with Verve Forecast -- their largest label since parting from A&M/Interscope at the turn of the millennium -- and turned in North Hollywood Shootout, which defies all expectations by being Blues Traveler's first full-fledged AAA pop album, a collection of songs with sanded melodies that have the veneer of adult pop and perhaps would be if they weren't sung by John Popper, whose harmonica is often buried deep in the mix. North Hollywood Shootout kicks off with a slowly creeping fog of keyboards, subdued rhythm, and mellow strumming. "Forever Owed" does such a good job of establishing a quiet, serene mood that it comes as no surprise when the drum loops and synthesized squawks surface on the second song, "You, Me and Everything." Still, the bandmembers crank their amps slightly on a couple of occasions, grinding out bluesy three-chord riffs and at one point inviting Bruce Willis in for a free-form rant called "Free Willis," which isn't nearly as strange as it thinks it is. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
As the punning title indicates, Cover Yourself finds Blues Traveler reinterpreting and occasionally rearranging 11 of their songs, including the hits "Run-Around" and "Hook." Those two may hook in casual fans, but this isn't for them, of course: it's for those Blues Traveler fans who salivate at the possibility of the group reworking their catalog, particularly songs that are tucked away deep on their albums. For those fans, this is interesting...but perhaps not as interesting as they'd like. This isn't so much a collection of intensive jams as a relaxed, groove-oriented record where the electric piano overwhelms the acoustic guitars that form the bed of these tracks. As such, Cover Yourself isn't so much a reinvention -- despite the few times that the songs are turned inside out, including "Runaround," which now sports an entirely different verse riff, or how "Carolina Blues" is now stripped down to a Delta blues shuffle -- as a respite, a way for Blues Traveler to take things easy and find the groove within. There's a charm in that, for both the band and longtime fellow travelers, but right now it feels like an amiable scenic side road instead of a new direction for the band. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
They might not have had hits like they did at the height of their popularity in the mid-'90s, when "Run Around" became a Top Ten single, but Blues Traveler did very well in the new millennium, crafting records that are in many ways stronger than the albums they made when they were just building their audience in the early '90s. Both 2001's Bridge and 2003's Truth Be Told were surprisingly tight, relatively lean records from the jam band, but 2005's Bastardos! -- their eighth studio album -- still comes as a bit of a surprise, since it captures the band at its most musically adventurous. From the second that "You Can't Stop Thinking About Me" kicks off the album in a rush of swirling guitars and neo-psychedelic melodies, it's clear that Blues Traveler have recorded an album that is richer as a sonic experience than any of their previous albums. Part of this may be due to their enlistment of former Wilco guitarist Jay Bennett as their producer. Bennett gives the band appealingly dense, busy mixes; even in the simplest mixes, there's always something going on, and far from being distracting, it enhances the group's music, since there's something new to discover on repeated listens. This shift in attitude on production would be enough to make Bastardos! a unique album in Blues Traveler's discography, but what makes it one of their best is how the band stretches from psychedelia to soulful pop and back toward their signature blues-rock, writing sturdy songs all the while. It's strong on a song-by-song basis, particularly since each track is sonically distinct, but all the moods complement each other, resulting in an album that might not be the most representative Blues Traveler album (although it isn't all that far removed from their trademark sound, either), but is certainly the richest, most diverse album they've ever done, and quite arguably their best. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Live on the Rocks was recorded on July 4, 2003, at Red Rocks, about 15 miles form Denver, CO. Six of its 14 tracks come from Truth Be Told, the album the band was touring in support of, and the rest from the deeper catalog of albums like Straight On 'Til Morning ("Carolina Blues"), Save His Soul (the title track), Four ("Crash Burn" and "Hook"), Bridge ("You Lost Me There"), and Travelers & Thieves ("Support Your Local Emperor"), and there's a stellar cover of "No Woman No Cry" featuring Ziggy Marley in duet with John Popper. Given the renewed vigor Blues Traveler showed on Truth Be Told, it's not surprising that this is one of their strongest live albums. The band has plenty of fire, and is tighter than ever. While some jam band fans may not be as overwhelmed with the tight construction of these tunes, there is plenty of solid improvisation and funky blues jamming here, and even more importantly, it is all wonderfully focused and articulate; there is no aimless meandering, just "get it to the next level" musicianship. Recommended. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Bridge, Blues Traveler's 2001 release, was appropriate. It was definitely a stylistic return to form after the disappointing Straight on Till Morning. But Bridge also brought BT back to the world after the death of bassist Bob Sheehan and John Popper's bouts with illness. Truth Be Told builds on that momentum, telescoping the veteran combo's sound, history, and experience -- both good and bad ones -- into a strong twelve-song set. There's radio-friendly material here - "Sweet and Broken"; "My Blessed Pain" -- but these aren't sequels to the cleansed bop of "Runaround." Instead, they click on clever wordplay from Popper and Chan Kinchla's crackling little guitar parts. New keyboardist Ben Wilson is invaluable throughout Truth; his rhythmic lines and well-placed solo moments are so effortlessly integrated, it's difficult to remember a Blues Traveler without keys. His organ kicks off one of the album's more exploratory moments. "Thinnest of Air" sounds like sped-up dub reggae, unspooling threads of trippy atmosphere without killing the track's relentless drive. And while the presence of Wilson's piano and organ does eat into Popper's harmonica parts a bit, "Can't See Why" still has room for one of those tongue workout harp freakouts. At the same time, it's also one of the album's rawest songs, toasting the band's jammy and vibrant live sound without spinning into a laborious tangent of aimless soloing. "Unable to Get Free" and "Let Her & Let Go" are album highlights. Both cuts combine big, boisterous choruses with sinewy songcraft that contracts or expands with the band's inspired, focused playing. There's groove here, and it's a bluesy, tour-tested one. But there are also easily accessible melodies and whip-smart lyrics. Comfortably ensconced at Sanctuary, and oblivious to any worries about follow-up singles or Platinum records, Blues Traveler has made something that quietly and confidently has the potential for both. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
'Live: What You and I Have Been Through'
Release Date 10/22/2002
Tracks 11
Label Artist Direct BMG
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Blues Traveler went through a lot after their sequel to Four, Straight on Till Morning, stiffed in 1997. John Popper went through a severe health scare after cutting a schizophrenic solo album and, not long afterward, bassist Bob Sheehan died from a drug overdose. Reeling on both the personal and professional fronts, they took some time off, resurfacing mid-way through 2001 with Bridge, the album they should have released as the sequel to Four. This cuts back significantly on winding jams, upping the ante with tight songs and performances, a clean muscular production, and a lack of vocal histrionics from Popper. Melodically, they've rarely been stronger, and there's a sense of peace and maturity to the record that's appealing, especially since it's weighted with an undercurrent of loss and experience. This doesn't surface all that often, yet it's enough to provide a substantive center to one of the group's strongest records. They may not be in the public spotlight anymore, but the return to relative anonymity, along with the decade of experience underneath their belt, has mellowed and enriched their music, and while this may not be a record that will win new fans, it's certainly one that satisfies anyone that's taken the journey with them. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The commercial success of Four was a mixed blessing for Blues Traveler. It did give them a wider audience, but it also put them in the delicate position of pleasing their new, hook-happy fans while retaining their hardcore, jam-oriented cult following. They skillfully manage to do just that on Straight on Till Morning, the bluesy, ambitious follow-up to Four. On the whole, Straight on Till Morning is a tougher album than any of its predecessors, boasting a gritty sound and several full-on jams. But the key to the album is its length and its sprawling collection of songs, which find Blues Traveler trying anything from country-rock to jangling pop/rock. They manage to be simultaneously succinct and eclectic, and they occasionally throw in a good pop hook or two. Blues Traveler are still too loose to be a true pop/rock band, and John Popper would still benefit from a sense of meter, but Straight on Till Morning is the first studio record that captures the essence of the band. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Like any jam-oriented band, Blues Traveler has a reputation for being better in concert than they are in the studio. Therefore, it would make sense that the double-disc Live from the Fall would be the ideal Blues Traveler album, since it allows the band to stretch out and demonstrate its true talents. In a sense, that is true. The two discs -- which were recorded in the fall of 1995, as the band was supporting the surprise success of Four -- do give the band room to improvise, and they exploit the extra space for all of its worth. Initially, Blues Traveler wanted to release without track indexes, so the listener could hear how each song flowed into the next. And the album does sound like that -- like a never-ending medley, where melodic themes pop in and out of the long solos. Occasionally, they detour into covers (War's "Low Rider," John Lennon's "Imagine"), but they mainly weave a tapestry of their own material, including rarities like the B-side "Regarding Steven" and the unreleased "Closing Down the Park." For fans of pop hits like "Run-Around" and "Hook," this can be a little irritating, but for those who have been with the band since the beginning, Live from the Fall is a priceless document -- more than any other album, this showcases what Blues Traveler is about. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Lacking the rootsier edge of Save His Soul, Four finds Blues Traveler retreating to the band's standard blues-boogie formula. There are some fine songs here on this solid record, including their breakthrough hit single, "Run-Around." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
