Truth Be Told

Performer: Blues Traveler
Engineer: Mark Dearnley
Producer: Don Gehman
Distributor: RED Distribution

Notes: Blues Traveler: John Popper (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Chandler Kinchla (guitar); Tad Kinchla (banjo, bass); Ben Wilson (organ, keyboards); Brendan Hill (drums, percussion). Recorded at Sound Design, Santa Barbara, California. The DVD portion of this release features a 5.1 surround sound album mix, a video scrapbook, photo gallery, lyrics, and weblinks. This is a DualDisc, which contains a CD on one side of the disc and a DVD on the other. Blues Traveler: John Popper (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Chan Kinchla (guitar); Tad Kinchla (banjo, bass guitar); Ben Wilson (organ, keyboards); Brendan Hill (drums, percussion). In the wake of bassist Bobby Sheehan's death, Blues Traveler could have either fallen apart or gotten stronger. In the work they've done since that tragic occurrence, they've taken the latter path. Their second post-Sheehan album, TRUTH BE TOLD, doesn't diverge sharply from the band's past; the slowly unfolding, folk-rock tinged feel of the stately, melodic "Sweet and Broken" and the bluesy, groove-based angularity of "Can't See Why" are of a piece with the main body of the group's work. But there are changes as well; new keyboard player Ben Wilson's hearty organ and piano contributions are the most obvious sign of expansion, but it's in the songwriting as well. The opener "Unable to Get Free," for instance, suggests (roughly) a testosterone-injected version of Cat Stevens' "Wild World," and the soul/rock/funk/jazz mixture of the syncopated "My Blessed Pain" finds the band unafraid to mix and match musical styles at will. The combination of consistency and adventurousness serves Blues Traveler well in their second decade as recording artists. In the wake of bassist Bobby Sheehan's death, Blues Traveler could have either fallen apart or gotten stronger. In the work they've done since that tragic occurrence, they've taken the latter path. Their second post-Sheehan album, TRUTH BE TOLD, doesn't diverge sharply from the band's past; the slowly unfolding, folk-rock tinged feel of the stately, melodic "Sweet and Broken" and the bluesy, groove-based angularity of "Can't See Why" are of a piece with the main body of the group's work. But there are changes as well; new keyboard player Ben Wilson's hearty organ and piano contributions are the most obvious sign of expansion, but it's in the songwriting as well. The opener "Unable to Get Free," for instance, suggests (roughly) a testosterone-injected version of Cat Stevens' "Wild World," and the soul/rock/funk/jazz mixture of the syncopated "My Blessed Pain" finds the band unafraid to mix and match musical styles at will. The combination of consistency and adventurousness serves Blues Traveler well in their second decade as recording artists.

Blues Traveler personified the second wave of jam bands that arose in the late '80s and early '90s. It was the Grateful Dead that turned the idea of playing a different, heavily improvised set of its tunes every night into a fine art. Like the Dead, Blues Traveler employs a hybrid of a number of classic American styles, from country to folk and blues, delivered in an idiosyncratic style. Led by the mighty singer/harp player John Popper, Blues Traveler had personality and appeal, but it wasn't until their hit "Runaround" that the group was catapulted into the public eye.

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