Travis
Good Feeling (Independiete/Epic Records)
By: [email protected]
The first thing one feels after putting on the debut Travis album is deja vu. Singer Fran Healy (Fran?!) steals his music from Supergrass and his vocals from The Stereophonics' Kelly Jones. Now musicians lifting ideas from others is not a crime. These days it's pretty much expected. But a good idea is to limit your thefts to bands worth ripping off. If you want to see how to do it correctly listen to Oasis. To see how not to do it listen to Good Feeling.That said this album is not without its high moments. "All I Want To Do Is Rock" is a catchy opener. Living up to its name this song does indeed rock. Although the lyrics look like they were written by someone still trying to master the english language. Lines like "If it was any other day/I'd turn and walk the other way/But today/I'll stay/Not walk away," make you think maybe Fran forgot to bring his eraser to the studio that day.
"The Line Is Fine" is the album's best song. That's not saying much but I did catch myself singing it in the shower one morning. It's only the third song but it's the last sign of life on the album.
The next half an hour are used up by nine different songs all of which seem to be variations of one song. And that one song isn't even that good. Both "More Than Us" and the album's closer "Funny Thing" have redeemable qualities but these songs sound like filler on a great album, but are actually highlights on a quite mediocre effort. Travis are a very talented band but they really have nothing to offer you haven't heard several times before. Grade: C.
