[Harp-L] Blues Traveler - Truth Be Told

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I have just posted a review of Blues Traveler's latest album "Truth Be Told" 
over on my harmonica weblog at http://harmonica.typepad.com. People who 
think that Popper can only play manic and fast could do worse than check out 
this album. 

As a teaser, here's the beginning of the review : 

It?s not unusual for a band to evolve over fifteen years of existence. In 
fact, it?s usually vital for a band to evolve over such a long period of 
time if they don?t want to simply crash and burn. Through the changes, they 
loose some fans, find some new ones and hopefully keep a vision and develop 
a sound that remains coherent. For a couple of years after Bobby Sheehan?s 
death, I really thought that BT were done for, not because I felt that the 
bassist was irreplaceable (as some fans apparently did) but simply because 
they didn?t seem to know where they were going anymore. 

There is no doubt that the Blues Traveler of today is not the Blues Traveler 
of yesterday. The jamband tendencies that were audible in the first few 
albums are mostly gone, and even though the songs stretch longer in the 
recent live release ?What You and I Have Been Through?, it?s still not the 
full-blown jamming of the nineties as exemplified in ?Live from the Fall?. 
The quirky, youthful feel that transpired in the early days has also been 
toned down, although it?s not completely gone. To some of the early fans, 
these are signs that Blues Traveler itself has lost it. Until recently I 
would have had to agree with them. I wasn?t impressed by ?Bridge?, although 
the circumstances around the album?s inception excused a lot, but more 
importantly, I was pretty much disappointed in ?What You and I Have Been 
Through?, and live albums, to me, are the true measure of a band. 

?Truth Be Told?, the latest Blues Traveler studio album has made me change 
my mind... 

Read more at http://harmonica.typepad.com 

Ben FELTEN