PAT TRAVERS
PAT TRAVERS - “The Art of Time Travel”
By Dark Starr
PAT TRAVERS was one of the rock gods of the 1970s. It's great to see him still making music in the 21st Century. This album feels a lot like the kind of thing he was known for doing in those heady days of the 70s. There is a nice mix of sounds from bluesy rockers to near metal, soulful sounds and more. There are two instrumentals here, and every song is effective. There are some that really land in the sublime category. If you dig the classic guitar rock sounds, you are likely to enjoy this. You just don't get much better than TRAVERS, really. I guess this album does have a component of time travel to it because it feels like a lost treasure of a previous decade, other than some of the lyrical themes.
Wasting no time, the opening title track powers in fast and mean. The tune takes on more of a psychedelia meets soul and blues rock vibe as it gets into the vocal based part of the track. The backing vocals really add to that soul aspect. The guitar fills are so tasty. The guitar solo is particularly expressive. With "Ronnie" we get a riff-driven rocker. It is a bit fiercer and rawer. The closing instrumental break includes killer guitar work, but that's to be expected. Listen to the bass playing, though. It's also absolutely top notch. The song is a tribute to Ronnie Montrose.
Coming in mellower with intricate guitar work, "No Worries at All" breaks into more fierce jamming as it continues. The track is positively meaty and hard rocking. Be sure to pay attention to the bass on that one, as well. More of a bluesy cut, "Over and Over" has some real melodic rock angles built into it. It's a classy tune with plenty of style and charm. The guitar soloing is, of course, top-notch.
I love the cool rocking groove of "Push Yourself." It has a real boogie woogie vibe to it. Horns bring something special to it, and the cut is very catchy and classic sounding. Coming in seriously heavy, there is almost a metal edge to "Move On" as it gets underway. Riff rocking takes over as it moves out from the introduction. It drops to a stripped back arrangement for the entrance of the vocals. The instrumental section later takes the song into more metallic zones. It is absolutely one of my favorites here. It's just so strong.
"Full Spectrum" has plenty of jazz in the mix. It's a killer track that's packed full of style and cool. The horn playing on this instrumental is on fire. Of course, so is the guitar soloing. It is another standout. With "Breaking Up in Lockdown" we get another bluesy rocker. It has plenty of class. It's not really a highlight, but it works well.
Blues and funk merge on "I Feel Good." The cut is another that lands somewhere in the middle of the road. Now, "Natalie" is so classy. It has a dreamy sort of, nearly prog vibe at its core. An instrumental piece, it serves as a real grounding force to end the disc in style.