Blues Traveler: Straight On Till Morning

When it first broke through commercially in 1990, Blues Traveler's sound seemed strangely fresh: Its songs were catchy and unpredictable, and John Popper's dizzying harmonica work seemed impossibly proficient. Now, as Blues Traveler releases its fifth studio album—which comes hot on the heels of the interminable, indigestible two-disc live set Live From The Fall—that sound has worn out its welcome. To Blues Traveler's credit, the new Straight On Till Morning is more diverse and less pop-friendly than 1994's homogenous hit factory Four. "Justify The Thrill" cooks up some vocal menace, while the group experiments a bit on the jazzy "Great Big World" and the annoyingly shrill, half-rapped "Business As Usual." (The scat singing on "Battle Of Someone" could have been spared, too.) Of course, just about every track here is anchored by a chirpy, endlessly noodling harmonica solo, which is good or bad depending on your threshhold for chirpy, endlessly noodling harmonica solos. (If just about every song featured a chirpy, endlessly noodling guitar solo, as "Yours" does, Blues Traveler would be laughed off as an overblown '80s relic.) Ultimately, while there don't appear to be any mega-hits amid the 65-minute morass, fans should get a kick out of the jams and generous portions. The rest of the world should, and likely will, steer clear.