Blues Traveler
Live From The Fall

THE REVIEW

In my view, Blues Traveler are the most original rock-blues band of the '90s.

Founded back in '87 by the singer and great harmonica player John Popper, they became famous for their combination of a traditional blues base, a decent legacy from Led Zeppelin, and various influences, especially Latin American. Enriching everything are the harmonica acrobatics of their leader.

If you're not sure who we're talking about, try to remember, if you've seen it, the movie “Blues Brothers 2000”: in which Blues Traveler play themselves performing a song in a park. Another peculiarity of the Traveler is their great live performance: they almost always perform medleys and extended improvisations, so much so that it is often hard to recognize the tracks heard on the albums. For this reason and for what I will explain later, I consider “Live From The Fall” their most representative album.
In two CDs, they collect most of their most famous repertoire up to that moment (1996). Standing out, we find “Go Run”, with its rhythms reminiscent of Los Lobos; “Freedom”, great power in '70s style; the delirious “Mountain Cry”, 15 minutes of pure blues, and the ballad “Regarding Seven”. A beautiful version of “Imagine” closes a memorable evening.

The Blues Traveler of “Live From The Fall”, especially bring out the blues soul of their music and combine it with a rhythm section worthy of the best John Bonham. The listener is hypnotized to the point of delirium by the passion of Kinchla's guitar and the phenomenal harmonica of Popper. Blues Traveler with “Live From The Fall” give us a grand return to the past: they let us relive Woodstock and 'Made In Japan' and remind us that it all began with the blues.