Blues Traveler - Traveler's Blues

Size: 102.5 MB
Time: 43:55
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2021
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Funky Bitch (4:32)
02. You Got Me Runnin' (With Crystal Bowersox) (3:22)
03. Tore Down (With Wendy Moten) (4:43)
04. Ball And Chain (With Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram) (5:47)
05. Crazy (With Rita Wilson & John Scofield) (4:28)
06. Sittin' On The Top Of The World (With Warren Haynes) (5:19)
07. Need Your Love So Bad (With The War & Treaty) (4:09)
08. Roadhouse Blues (With Mickey Raphael) (4:24)
09. Call Me The Breeze (3:40)
10. Trouble In Mind (With Keb' Mo') (3:27)

Grammy-winning jam band Blues Traveler dedicates itself to the formidable task of reworking and reinterpreting a host of timeless blues classics on the group’s new album Traveler’s Blues. The record comes out July 30th, 2021 on Round Hill Records and finds the current BT lineup and special guests like Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Rita Wilson, John Scofield, Warren Haynes, and Keb’ Mo’ getting all over timeless songs by Son Seals, Jimmy Reed, The Mississippi Sheiks, The Doors, and Gnarls Barkley. Grammy winner Matt Rollings (Willie Nelson) produced the sessions and did a great job of capturing the live-band energy and raw feel the songs require. All involved helped breathe new life and new ideas into these famous tunes and the set comes off fresh and fun.

Blues Traveler began life as a high school blues band in the late 80s and exploded into the 90s with three consecutive gold records: Blues Traveler (1990), Travelers and Thieves(1991), and Save His Soul (1993). The group’s hippie-centric guitar and harmonica version of rock and roll became wildly popular and the fourth BT album, simply titled Four (1994), went platinum six times and won the band a Grammy Award for the single “Run-Around.” Traveler’s Blues is BT’s fourteenth full-length release and feels like the full-circle record the group was always destined to make. The present Blues Traveler roster of John Popper (vocals, harmonica), Chan Kinchla (guitar), Tad Kinchla (bass), Ben Wilson (keyboards), and Brendan Hill (drums) is a solid and stylish crew unafraid to put its own stamp on every song they play.

Popper and company start this set with a strong cover of the Son Seals burner “Funky Bitch.” Popper has long been the king of shred harmonica and uses this track to show us that he hasn’t lost one single step on harp or as a singer. The cut is funky, dynamic, and overflowing with the kind of energy needed to wow the biggest crowds in the world. The whole band hits this one hard and the sound of BT back in action will set you soaring.

Next, the group takes on Jimmy Reed’s “You Got Me Runnin’” with the help of American Idol veteran Crystal Bowersox. Their version rides an easy shuffle groove just like Reed at his best. Bowersox has a natural affinity for this music and sounds wonderful paired up with Popper. Together, they put down a thoroughly-enjoyable take on one of the blues’ most famous songs. “Ball & Chain” is a slow blues treat that features a guest spot from the always mind-blowing Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. Popper absolutely roars on the vocal mic but never lets his power get out of hand and Kingfish delivers his mighty guitar talents with the poise of a future legend. Hearing them both on the same track is a soul-cleansing experience that you need to have.

Warren Haynes shows up on The Mississippi Sheiks’ “Sittin’ On Top of the World” and adds some sweet slide guitar licks and growling vocals to the proceedings. Haynes is always compelling and continues that tradition on this cut, taking us all to school. He makes a great counterpoint to Popper and a full album of them together would make a lot of fans happy. The Gnarls Barkley hit “Crazy” is a surprising choice among all of these vintage songs but rocks out with assistance from vocalist Rita Wilson and jazz/fusion guitar star John Scofield. Overlook it at your own risk.

“Trouble In Mind” brings Grammy winner Keb’ Mo’ into the mix for a strutting and soulful closing number. Keb’ is never anything less than cool and killer and he’s an instant hit playing with this bunch. His warm vocal tone contributes a lot to the joy of the track and is more than worth your time. Blues Traveler is very much alive on this new effort and continues to evolve and grow as a unit. The road has been long but the future looks bright for one of the 90s most iconic acts. ~Mike O’Cull

Traveler's Blues MP3
Traveler's Blues FLAC

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Blues Traveler - Blow Up The Moon

Released: 2015
Size: 121.6 MB
Time: 52:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Styles: Rock, Pop, Adult Alternative
Art: Front

1. Hurricane (feat. 3OH!3) [3:44]
2. Blow up the Moon (feat. JC Chasez and 3OH!3) [4:30]
3. Castaway (feat. Dirty Heads and Rome Ramirez) [3:10]
4. Vagabond Blues (feat. Dirty Heads and Rome Ramirez) [3:05]
5. Top of the World (feat. Hanson) [4:21]
6. Nikkia's Prom (feat. Plain White T's) [3:32]
7. Matador (feat. Thompson Square) [4:01]
8. I Can Still Feel You (feat. Thompson Square) [4:12]
9. The Darkness We All Need (feat. Secondhand Serenade) [3:54]
10. Jackie's Baby (feat. New Hollow) [4:18]
11. Hearts Are Still Awake (feat. Jewel) [3:44]
12. I Know Right (feat. Bowling for Soup) [3:30]
13. Right Here Waiting for You (feat. Bowling for Soup) [3:15]
14. All the Way (feat. Thomas Ian Nicholas) [3:37]

Just when it seemed as if Blues Traveler were settling into a nice, mature roots groove, the band up and makes a star-studded crossover pop album from 2006. The hitch is, Blow Up the Moon arrives in 2015, about a decade or more removed from the glory days of all involved. Apart from Thompson Square, a country act who first debuted in 2011, the guest stars all had hits several years back: JC Chasez sways in to sing on the title track, Plain White T's of "Hey Delilah" fame play on "Nikkia's Prom," Bowling for Soup show up for two songs, as do 3OH!3, and fellow class-of-1997 alumni Jewel and Hanson both show up for a track apiece (as does American Pie survivor Thomas Ian Nichols, looking to show that he's something more than an actor and not doing a bad job of it). All of the artists, even Thomas Ian Nichols, put an indelible stamp on their respective tracks and even if only a handful of cuts feel like true Blues Traveler collaborations — including the sweet Jewel ballad "Hearts Are Still Awake" — the appeal of Blow Up the Moon is that it feels more like a buffet than a carefully crafted meal; depending on your stylistic persuasion, there may be something to satisfy.

Blow Up The Moon

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Blues Traveler - Live From The Fall (2CD)

Released: 1996
Size: 335.4 MB
Time: 146:32
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Styles: Live Blues, Rock
Art: Full
CD 1
1. Love And Greed [ 5:15]
2. Mulling It Over [ 8:04]
3. Closing Down The Park [12:55]
4. Regarding Steven [ 4:42]
5. New York Prophesie [ 5:13]
6. 100 Years [ 4:58]
7. Crash Burn [ 3:24]
8. Gina [ 6:45]
9. But Anyway [ 5:55]
10. Mountain Cry [15:17]

CD 2
1. Alone [15:43]
2. Freedom [ 4:15]
3. Mountains Win [ 5:42]
4. Breakfast [ 4:02]
5. Go [ 9:06]
6. Low / Go [10:48]
7. Run [ 4:35]
8. Hippie / Imagine [19:46]

This is an excellent gem that too few people are aware exists. Everyone remembers Blues Traveler as "that band with Runaround and Hook." Is this a bad reputation to have left on pop music's ever dwindling attention span? Not at all. Is it a disservice to the band's talent? Yes. While both of those songs are great, catchy tunes that deserved every bit of radio play they had, the band's true talent is within their live shows. One of the few jam bands still currently producing music, Blues Traveler is the definition of live charisma. This album is a wonderful example of that charisma.
First off, John Popper's harmonica skills are astounding. I'm no expert, but I'd like to see any number of players try and top his diversity, speed and melody. He makes some of Kinchella's guitar parts seem insignificant.
Not to say that Kinchella, Sheehan and Hill don't hold their own. This is an excellent band. Sheehan is an excellent bassist, Kinchella is very rythmically incline and holds the songs together nicely with his laid back grooves. He also has some red hot bluesey solos that are pleasing to the ear.
This brings us into the music that they've chosen for this double-disc release. The music is so well played, so convincing, so beautifully careless, every bit of it flows together perfectly. A fine example is the "go-low-go" epic on the second disc. This is one of the most exhausting, yet thoroughly satisfying jams I've ever heard. They even manage to throw in Beck's "Loser" for good measure. There aren't too many bands that I can think of that are capable of pulling something like that off.

Live From The Fall CD 1
Live From The Fall CD 2

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