Color (2001)
Reviewed by Bob Peppler
CD Baby
Travis Allison's latest CD "Color" sails into uncharted water and lands on solid ground. Once again TAB proves he doesn't need to take a back seat to anyone in the music business. "Color" captivates your musical senses with ten award-winning songs that will send you into rhythmic ecstasy.
Travis Allison surrounds himself with some of the best musicians on the planet and together with his unique vocal style, he's created a musical Masterpiece that screams to be played over and over again.
The sixth cut, "Let Me Down Easy" is a heart-felt ballad that showcases Allison's remarkable voice and features a weeping guitar solo that would make Eric Clapton cry with joy! The lyrics and music on this song fuse together forming a harmony that will certainly bring tears to your eyes.
TAB demonstrates they have created a recognizable sound all of their own. The fourth cut, "Long Time Gone" highlights a signature sound that is purely Allison-esk by nature. The music and words are tightly wrapped together forming a trademark sound that is truly identifiable. The listener instinctively knows he is hearing Travis Allison at his best.
Very few artists attain this kind of recognition during their musical careers and TAB should be honored for having reached this lofty goal. If your musical tastes include fine guitar playing, sound keyboards, excellent percussion with flying cymbals, and outstanding vocals complimented by heart-felt lyrics then "Color" has your name written all over it.
For those who are already TAB fans, this CD will only reinforce your belief in the Band. For those not familiar with Travis Allison, you won't be disappointed with what CD Baby delivers to your mailbox. This album has good Rock, soft ballads, and great love songs. All you have to do is click on "BUY IT" and wait for the delivery! Good things will come to those who WAIT.
Reviewed by Devin Grant
Charleston Post and Courier
December 6, 2001
There are times when the music from a certain CD has the same effect as comfort food. All of us have has a few CDs in our collection that we get out and spend time with like an old friend. Mine sit right next to my computer, ready to go into the CD-ROM drive if the dreaded scourge of writer's block rears its ugly head. While "Color," the latest release by the Travis Allison Band isn't in my stack, it's only because my comfort CDs have traveled a long and competitive road to sit in said pile. Perhaps in time "Color" will make it into the sacred stack. The collection of music certainly has enough in the way of good material to make a spirited campaign for a slot.
Sporting a sound that reminds you of acts such as the Blue Dogs and Sister Hazel, TAB has been entertaining club audiences up and down the eastern seaboard for more than five years. With just the right mix of rock, blues and soul, songs such as "Let Me Down Easy," "Drivin' " and "Long Time Gone" are definitely easy on the ears. "Color" is certainly a release that the band can stand behind and be proud of. It's also a CD that will easily appeal to fans of the easygoing yet intelligent Southern rock sound. Frontman Travis Allison, who made the band's homebase in Richmond, Va., the past several years, has recently moved to Charleston. Look for TAB to play in town in the near future. (B+)
Reviewed by Theodore Defosse
Splendid Magazine
(NYC, splendidzine.com)
To be good to the Travis Allison Band in an "indie" publication, you can't mention their strong similarity to Hootie and the Blowfish, because Ross Geller's favorite bands do not define "what's hip" and worth a listen this year (or any year, really—Ed.). It's impossible to gloss over the fact, though—the Travis Allison Band are definitely the group that Ross would want to see on his birthday this year. And darn if Monica wouldn't cheat on Chandler with their bassist. Of course, there's an in-crowd that may ask, "What about Peter Holsapple of the db's? Didn't he play for Hootie? Wasn't he an honorary fish, and the inspiration behind the Ross Geller character?" Oh, if only the in-crowd considered such things. Then the radio might have something worth suffocating through a Top 40 Countdown to hear.
The song I'd stay glued to the radio for is "Drivin." When Travis Allison sings, "Something comes on the radio, and takes his thoughts away," he's referring to a song like this. The lead track on the band's new CD, "Drivin" will make you want to turn up the volume within its first four seconds. This urge never lets up. Passionate vocals, effortless melodies and expert musicianship have long been a part of Allison and his band's arsenal, but "Drivin" steers the group toward the unapproachable—hootietastic perfection. The lyrics are honest enough to be unpredictable, yet their intelligence is a lesser strength than the overall flow of the song, which makes everyday life seem as musical as The Umbrellas of Cherbourg suggested.
Thanks to "Drivin", I flat out dig the Travis Allison Band. They have a great pop single that makes no apologies for being catchy. Of the nine remaining songs on this album, the ones with pretty decent titles ("Incident on 29th St.," "King Stanley Chester,""Ghosts of My Town," and "Maybe Later") are rootsy funk with mindless lyrics ("A couple days of misdirection / But she makes up with her perfection") that made this listener second-guess his initial enthusiasm.
They don't sound like Hootie here, more like late seventies and eighties filler from the Grateful Dead. In some abysmal universe, I guess that's a compliment, but such songs would tempt me to call "Drivin'" a fluke. However, when the band wrap their songs around stupid, generic titles ("Grey Skies", "Blue", "Long Time Gone", "Let Me Down Easy"), they get truckin' again. Here, the Travis Allison Band celebrates music ("Watch the black sing / With the blues all around her") and the beauty of a working band's life, with the enthusiasm of kids daydreaming as they cruise the parking lots of Burger King, radios cranked.
Review by Ames Arnold
Style Weekly, Richmond, VA
November 2001
Drenched in blues and grays and aptly titled, Allison's latest is a passionate effort filled with doubt and hope. His acoustic-based songs reflect the complexities of winning and losing while keeping the faith, and there's a fearless spirit throughout that portrays a refreshing positive stance. It's clear that there is no room for self-pity. Allison's sincere vocals are a fine medium for the message.
Recorded in Carytown at the Recording Studio Annex, Allison gets terrific support from his bandmates. Electric guitar solos are particularly concise, tasteful and well-placed, and during the set, one can hear vague echoes of the Allman Brothers, the Doobie Brothers, and even the Stones on a less raucous day.
Arrangements are heavily rhythmic, and perhaps the best cut, "Long Time Gone," features a steady bass and drum heartbeat under fine mandolin figures and acoustic guitar. The ballad of regret "Let Me Down Easy" captures a romantic soul in all its gorgeous fragility; it is a beautiful tune sung with a truckload of heart. Of course, that's not to say everything is perfect. Allison can get wordy at times and swallow his words at others. But his hard-working band has a great feel for song and dynamic variation.
"Color" is a strong effort that will please fans and new listeners alike.
Reviewed by Star Traylor
The Winchester Star
They're not local, but the Richmond-based Travis Allison Band has a faithful following in Winchester. They pack the house when they play at Brewbaker's restaurant on the Loudoun Street Mall and this Saturday is sure to be the same as the band celebrates the release of their fourth album, "Color."
Singer Travis Allison said the group has made many friends in Winchester in the five years they've been playing downtown. Critics have likened the band's music to Hootie and the Blowfish, Edwin McCain, and Elton John. It's the kind of earnest rock n' roll that college students and their parents could enjoy.
Allison said the newest album was recorded in Richmond using an analog machine and vintage microphones. "It's more of a concept album," he said. "It's more of a cohesive and collective album." "Color" follows a live album recorded at a benefit concert in Washington, D.C.
All the band's albums are independently produced. Their last studio album, "Old Habits," has sold more than 3,000 copies. Allison said the band receives many requests for the last song on the album, called "Same Things." "One of the nicest things is having people come up and request so many songs," Allison said.
The band has been performing full time for five years and plays 100 to 200 shows a year.
Allison said his musical influences include the Beatles, Billy Joel, and Bruce Springsteen.