Pat Travers Albums (30)
'Travelin' Blues'
Release Date 5/19/2009
Tracks 12
Label Blues Bureau
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What The Critics Say
From a marketing standpoint, Blues Bureau International could have come up with a much better title for this 2009 release than simply Travelin' Blues. Ideally, the title should have been something along the lines of Travelin' Blues: The Best of the Blues Bureau Years, Vol. 1, because this 61-minute CD is, in fact, a best-of collection focusing on hard rock and blues-rock that Pat Travers recorded for Blue Bureau in the 1990s and 2000s. Many of Travers' longtime fans will agree that the Canadian singer/guitarist recorded his most essential work in the 1970s and early '80s, but his Blues Bureau discs are nothing to be ashamed of -- and this collection finds him in fine form on solid originals (including "Time Out," "Too Cool Woman Blues," and the title track) as well as ballsy performances of Willie Dixon's "Built for Comfort" (a Chess Records gem closely identified with Howlin' Wolf), Muddy Waters' "Rock Me, Baby," the Allman Brothers' "Whipping Post," and Buddy Miles' "Them Changes." Travers turned 40 in 1994, 50 in 2004, and 55 in 2009, but thankfully, these recordings demonstrate that he hasn't mellowed at all since the 1970s; Travers hasn't lost his grit as a singer, and his guitar playing is as aggressive as ever. Why Blues Bureau simply called this collection Travelin' Blues instead of coming up with a title drawing attention to the fact that it is a best-of collection is anyone's guess, but that doesn't make these 1990s and 2000s performances any less exciting. Travelin' Blues is an appropriate starting point if one is exploring Travers' Blues Bureau output for the first time. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
'Stick with What You Know: Live in Europe'
Release Date 8/14/2007
Tracks 12
Label Provogue
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'P.T. Power Trio, Vol. 2'
Release Date 2/21/2006
Tracks 13
Label Blues Bureau
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What The Critics Say
2005's PT=MC2 is Pat Travers' first album of all-new original studio material since 1996's Lookin' Up. Not that he's been inactive in the near-decade between the two records: he's been playing music and has released a couple of live albums in between. But this not only is his first full-fledged studio record in a while, it's a reinvigorating return to form, a pile-driving collection of hard rock. Sonically, it sounds of a piece with the arena-ready hard rock he was recording in the early '80s -- it's possible to hear this fitting into the album-oriented rock radio of the '80s -- but that doesn't mean that this is living in the past. Travers looks life as a rock survivor dead-on, writing songs that reflect his status as a middle-aged rocker while not forgetting to cut loose and have fun. But what makes PT=MC2 work is that Travers and his supporting rhythm section of bassist Rick Navarro and drummer Eric Frates don't sound middle-aged: they rock with the strength of men half their age. They do sound like seasoned musicians, which gives this album both weight and a fluid musicality, and Travers' voice has some appealing grit to it, which also helps give this music a nice, lived-in feel. All told, this is an impressive comeback: not only is Travers playing some fiery guitar here, but he has a strong set of songs and the band hits hard. It's hard to imagine anybody who has loved Travers' music at some point during his career not finding something to like on this first-rate effort. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
No matter how far away he moves from the average rock fan's consciousness, one thing you can always count on from '70s guitar hero Pat Travers is guaranteed fret-board excitement and a certain element of surprise. Or can you? Whatever your thoughts on the matter, there's no question that, unlike many of his increasingly obsolete and desperate contemporaries, Travers seems at once both more accepting of his diminishing role in the international arena and unwilling to allow this negative perception to in any way tarnish his love of performance. Boasting a typically pyrotechnic display of his legendary six-string abilities, the P.T. Power Trio album finds Travers -- alongside aging drum colossus Aynsley Dunbar and relative unknown bassist Gunter Nezhoda -- tackling blues staples as well as psychedelic and classic rock standards with taste and vivacity. Among the standout tracks, one finds astoundingly precise and faithful renditions of Cream's "White Room" (complete with wah-wah flourishes that Eric Clapton himself might have a hard time replicating these days), Robin Trower's "Day of the Eagle," Free's "Fire and Water," ZZ Top's "Nasty Dogs and Funky Kings," and even Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited." In short, it's entirely feasible that these wizened old pros could have thrown this entire set together in a single, bored weekend; such is the innate, effortless genius of their musical talent. But considering it makes for such an easy and familiar listening experience, who really cares? ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
'From the Front Row Live'
Release Date 1/1/2003
Tracks 14
Label Silverline
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What The Critics Say
For audio DVD consumers, the From the Front Row Live series has proven to be a welcome addition to the standard 5.1 Surround Sound reissues. A case in point is this high-energy set from Canadian rocker Pat Travers (guitar/vocals). Although he never scored significant fame in the U.S., his prowess as a no-nonsense rock & roll powerhouse permeates virtually every note. Along with Jerry Riggs (guitar/vocals), Pat Marchino (drums), and Barry Dunaway (bass), Travers slices through this selection of back-catalog cuts with a few from his most concurrent effort, Hot Shot (1984). In fact, this concert hails from March 26, 1984, in West Palm Beach, FL, during the tour for that album. Rather than subject the audience to new and perhaps unfamiliar material, Travers offers only a sampling of sides, most notably "Killer," "Just Try Talkin' (To Those Dudes)," and the incendiary title track, "Hot Shot." His boisterous guitar work shreds through pedal-to-the-metal renderings of Albert King's "Born Under a Bad Sign" and the appropriately named "Born a Rocker," as well as the decidedly and comparatively understated "Stevie." The aforementioned "Killer" is an instant classic sporting one of the disc's more frenetic entries. Its bluesy overtones and alternately sinuous and razor-sharp electric guitar leads would not have sounded too out of place emanating from the likes of ZZ Top. While "Life in London" and "Gettin' Betta'" duplicate the opening sequencing from the LP Putting It Straight (1977), there is no contest as the energy during this show virtually eradicates any competition between the two. Although neither "Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights)" and "Snortin' Whiskey" were chart hits for Travers, they became staples of AOR FM radio and, judging by the audience reaction, remained solid favorites. This installment in the 5.1 Surround Sound audio DVD From the Front Row Live series is custom-made for performances such as this, as the vérité style of the presentation puts you front and center, right on-stage between the musicians and in the heart of the action. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide
'Don't Feed the Alligators'
Release Date 2/22/2000
Tracks 11
Label Blues Bureau Int'l
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'Born Under a Bad Sign'
Release Date 11/17/1998
Tracks 14
Label Dressed to Kill
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'Blues Tracks, Vol. 2'
Release Date 4/21/1998
Tracks 12
Label Blues Bureau Int'l
See Album Tracklist and Review
