Main menu
Fretplay home Submit tabs

Travis
Travis tabs Travis discography

Channels
Guitar channel Bass channel Guitar videos Reviews

Message Forum
Guitar forum Bass forum Bands and artists Promote your band Recent discussions All categories

Fretplay.com

Travis guitar tabs

CD reviews

Ode to J. Smith

Travis - Ode to J. Smith Audio CD

A fair review of the Travis "Ode to J. Smith" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Travis reviews here, or go back to the Travis tabs.

Band: Travis
Title: Ode to J. Smith
Rating:

Release Date: 2008-11-04
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Chinese Blues 2: J. Smith 3: Something Anything 4: Long Way Down 5: Broken Mirror 6: Last Words 7: Quite Free 8: Get Up 9: Friends 10: Song to Self 11: Before You Were Young

Less Polished Travis

The soft ballads are almost entirely absent and you have to go right up to the fifth track, "Broken Mirror" to find anything resembling "The Man Who" or "The Invisible Band - "Broken Mirror "is in fact one of the album's finest numbers - probably not without inspiration from Radiohead. Without being really raw or hard rocking this album is undoubtedly Travis least polished since the debut of "Good Feeling" in 1997.

There are other catchy and melodic tracks such as the Coldplay-like "Quite Free" and "Friends" - two numbers which for me to hear would have been good choices for singles. But perhaps to stick to a new approach, the three singles were all chosen among the more hard-rocking songs.

Initially most of the numbers might appear a little ordinary, but after a couple of listenings you discover qualities in most tracks.

Besides the already mentioned tracks, I will highlight the opening track "Chinese Blues" and "Long Way Down"; both good examples of songs that win on closer acquaintance.

All in all a refreshing album from Travis, where they show here that they are more than just a soft ballad band.

Nuevo album, nuevo sello...
La linea grafica ha cambiado no asi las canciones. Se extra�a la fuente de TRAVIS en los titulos de portada.

Empieza con fuerza, muy buenas las 3 primeras canciones, consistentes una con otra, pero a la mitad del album decaen un poco, sin menos preciar el final que retoma con el antiguo sonido de Travis.

Nuevo album, nuevo sello. Un nuevo comienzo. A darle oportunidad, tiene muy buenas canciones.
.

A Really Good Album
Like most bands that try to switch there sound and they end up with a crap album this is one band that proves that they can do anything. This is a really good Travis album it's a big change from there previous albums its very hard not a lot slow ballads but its a really good album all the songs are great on this album it sounds like they really let loose in this album which is rare now a days. I highly recommend this album.

Ode to a Great Album

The weird thing about "Ode to J. Like most TRAVIS fans, I came in during the time of Good Feeling and The Man Who -- those two albums quite literally opened my eyes as I found the music and the band I've been craving. Smith" was that it didn't strike me as a TRAVIS album at first. Each album prior, even '12 Memories', was met with one listen being enough to say "yes, this is Travis and I love this band. " "Ode to J. Smith" didn't do that for me. I had initial disappointments and said flat out that this was more or less the same, but just not as good.

But that said, the songs haunted me when they weren't being played. My ears were telling me to put that album back on again and really, I couldn't stop playing the record for days. It is indeed a fantastic album that is different but somehow familiar. You cannot simply say that this album is like "The Man Who" or "The Invisible Band" or "The Boy With No Name". It has a sound of its own and it shows that the band is trying new things, which is a great sign of longevity. If I had to put a label on this one, I would say that it's like they were at "12 Memories" and kept building upon that.

There may not be your iconic Travis ballad here but what you have are songs that are musically more rich, instrumentally more vibrant, and lyrics that are more meaningful. "Ode to J. Smith" is just an extension of the incredible library they've provided so far and if it all ends here, I'd think that they ended right before they hit their highest level. I can't wait to hear what else this band has in store for us because I know it's going to be their best work. .

Whatever.
I rushed to buy "The Man Who" and was completely satisfied with that album. I was introduced to Travis by way of "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" in early 2000. The following year I was first in line to get "The Invisible Band" and was equally, if not more, satisfied. I went back and got "Good Feelings" and was slightly disappointed. "12 Memories" was somewhat disappointing as was "The Boy With No Name".

So, here is "Ode To J. Smith", right on the heels of "The Boy With No Name" a year and a half ago. I'll admit this is a grower. On first listen nothing really grabbed me, but upon closer inspection, several songs began to sink their hooks into me like the album opener "Chinese Blues", "J. Smith", "Long Way Down", "Last Words", "Quite Free", "Song To Self" and "Before You Were Young". The rest I continue to struggle with just exactly how I feel about them.

The sound of this album isn't exactly a stretch for the band. In fact, they still sound maudlin and morose in too many spots. Sure there's hints of "Good Feeling" since the band utilizes more guitars this time out, but really, it's not that much like "Good Feeling".

After mulling this album over all week long, I find that "The Man Who" and "The Invisible Band" remain my favorites. "Ode To J. Smith" is neither here nor there. It's not bad, but it's not great, it just is. I keep wondering if this is it for Travis. I feel they are a talented band that could do so much more, but this is the third album in a row that has been just okay. To me, Travis have the potential to be bigger, but they don't pick great producers and engineers, and the band doesn't seem interested in trying to be more experimental with their sound. They don't seem inspired to push the limits of their particular brand of music.

And that's what makes "Ode To J. Smith" so disappointing. If they did this in two weeks, and this was the most original thing they could come up with, maybe it's time to call it quits. Sure, I noticed a small bit of experimentation on "J. Smith" with the orchestration and chorale segments, but it seemed tacked on, not well thought out. It was interesting for, oh, 30 seconds, and then it was gone.

So, I'm hoping against hope, that the next album bears better fruit. Here's where I place "Ode To J. Smith" in context of Travis's other albums.

1997 Good Feeling: Four Stars
1999 The Man Who: Four Stars
2001 The Invisible Band: Four and a Half Stars
2003 12 Memories: Two and a Half Stars
2007 The Boy With No Name: Three and a Half Stars
2008 Ode To J. Smith: Three Stars.

You can see a complete list of all Travis discography, or go back to the Travis tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.