Blues Traveler ( http://www.bluestraveler.com/ )
Bridge
A&M
Rating: 4 Flaming Goat Heads
Give credit to Blues Traveler for not letting the drug-overdose death of bassist Bobby Sheehan give the remaining three an excuse to release a dark, album-length ode. With Bridge, Blues Traveler instead focuses their collective grief into the seven-minute masterpiece "Pretty Angry," which effectively mourns Sheehan's passing, setting the band free to get on with what they do best: creating light-spirited, jam-oriented pieces that offer the listener opportunities to both tap foot and marvel at musicianship. The loss of 200 frontman pounds has not slimmed any weight from John Popper's voice, as his volatile phrasing continues to make full use of his wide (no longer a pun) range. BT's new keyboard presence, Ben Wilson, provides the band with a much-needed tool for breaking free of their guitar-oriented directional constraints; his uncommon accompaniment makes the listener wonder what Traveler ever did without him. The verse section of the song "Rage" finds guitar, bass and keys spitting short barks that present a unique ballast for Popper's delicately harmonized vocal lines. Contrary to Bridge's imaginative arrangements, the album's song titles show a complete lack of creativity ("Just For Me," "You Reach Me," You Lost Me There" and "You're Burning Me") and songwriting-wise, the album suffers from a stylistic Bipolar Disorder - the songs go back and forth between sugarfest singles and roots-jam experimentations, prompting fans of either style to spend half the listen operating the "song skip" option on their CD player.-Cliff Frantz
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