The discography of Blues Treveler is really that of two bands. Starting out as a blues based rock band, they found success on the "jam" circuit, turning their songs into epically long excercises in improvisation. The live shows were known for this sort of musical adventurism, and the band was unable to find a way to translate their live feeling onto their albums. After three solid albums, with a growing fanbase, pressure was building for the band to break into the mainstream.

Embracing pop music to a new degree, "Four" was released, spawning the hit singles "Run Around" and "Hook". The album went multiplatinum, and fans werw worried that the band had sold out. Their next album, "Straight on Til Morning" reaffirmed their presense as a blues based band, but floundered without any radio or sales success. Shortly after the album, founding bassist Bobby Sheehan was found dead of drug and alcohol overdoses. The band was at a crossroads, and was unsure if they could continue.

Recruiting guitarist Chan Kinchla's brother Tad to play bass, and Ben Wilson to play keyboards, the band soldiered on, releasing "Bridge" and "Truth be Told", both albums that embraced the pop sound more than any of their previous works. While critics were sympathetic to the new sound, many fans were not. The band continued to play their trademark live shows, but the success of the past was gone. For "Bastardos", the band's eigth album, the member's were determined to make an album that they wanted, and one that returned to their roots.

You can tell from the opening stuttering guitar figure, and the swirling psychadelic vocals that this is not the same band that has existed since the death of Sheehan. "You Can't Stop Thinking About Me", like most of the album, plays down the pop hooks in an effort to strengthen the band's blues rock credentials. The success that it achieves is mediocre at best. Most of the songs are solid, but the lack of hooks seems out of place for the band, as even their early blues rock albums featured hooks that would be at home on pop radio.

"Amber Awaits" bounces along on a strong bassline and oddly timed guitar figures. The song also continues singer John Popper's penchant for fitting far too many words into a song. It's choice as a single is well suited, as it is the most upbeat and pop-oriented song on the album, which does not mean it's the best. That distinction would go to the next song, "After What". Opening up with the only signs of rock guitar on the album, the song finds it's way into the best chorus that Popper has written in ages. "I don't run unless you try to catch me" is one of several contradictions that litter the chorus.

"Can't Win True Love" circles on an organ chord, giving a greater influence to the keyboards than any BT album yet. This has much to do with the fact that keyboardist Ben Wilson co-wrote many of the songs here. The band continues to go through several solid, but unspectacular songs, not offering anything dramatically different than they always have. "Leaning In" is notable for the lack of creativity from wordsmith Popper, as he repeats the phrase "leaning in" ad nauseum in place of writing an actual chorus.

"She and I" is the real departure of the album, featuring a horn section that creates an almost disco flavor to the song. Strangely, the band pulls it off well, showing a musical diversity that is unexpected. The album features only two songs written exclusively by Popper, which is a shame. Popper has always been the heart and soul of the band, and it's his understanding of melody that fueled the bands best songs. Allowing the other members of the band to write music for his lyrics, while it is good for band morale, thrusts the band into an awkward situation. Though they are all adept musicians, none of the other members understand the mechanisms of songwriting well enough to carry the burden of the band. This isn't to say that they can't turn out a gem every now and again (The Sheehan penned "The Mountains Win Again" from "Four" is a BT classic), but the band must be prudent in choosing their musical backdrops.

The bottom line with this album is that it's both what you would expect from Blues Traveler at this stage of their career, and what you wouldn't expect. The songs are tightly constructed, but lack the character of their earlier works. Everything is solid, but nothing is spectacular. It's hard to say if the band is trying to get back to their roots, or if the well of creativity is running a bit dry ("Nefertiti's chorus feels lifted from "Truth Be Told"s "Can't See Why"). Either way, the band are veterans, and they don't disappoint. Fans of the first incarnation of BT will be upset that the band still isn't embracing their jam band roots, and fans of the second incarnation of BT will be upset that the band is straying from their last two albums of strong pop songs. The truth is that the band is doing what they want to, and they're finally learning to blend together everything that they've done to this point. The future may not be full of platinum records, but the records they do make are better than what rose colored glasses have us remembering about their early years.

Rating: 86/100