[rating=4.50]
Do you like seminal Scottish rockers Travis?
Yes?
Well, you’re going to like lead singer Fran Healy’s first solo jaunt, Wreckorder. Imagine, if you will, Travis, circa The Invisible Band, adding in a bit more orchestra and slightly lacking a bit of the energy brought by Andy, Dougie, and Neil.
This is not “Travis sans Travis.” However, with Fran’s voice as poignantly emotive and beautifully fragile as ever, it carries the best of Travis’s softer side (think “Flowers in the Window,” “Driftwood,” or “Sing.” The album sings, pardon the pun, from beginning to end; the opener, “In the Morning,” shows a good deal of the vocal stress that has become increasingly audible in Fran’s live work with Travis in recent years – and which, frankly, is somehow endearing (one could compare it with the way Bono’s voice breaks in some of the most powerful U2 tunes). Similarly, “Anything,” “Buttercups,” and the slightly jazzy “Moonshine” are strong tunes that amply showcase expert songwriting coupled with a beautiful voice and perfectly complementing instrumental tracks.
A bonus of a Fran Healy solo album is his ability to collaborate with others, as in “Sing Me To Sleep,” in which vocal duties are shared with the inimitable Neko Case; their voices are perfect complements, hers a dusty backwoods bar, his a honey-covered lullaby, both intermingling to form a perfect soundtrack. Interestingly, his collaboration with Paul McCartney, on “As It Comes” (wherein McCartney plays bass), feels like McCartney-esque, and indeed, seems even less Fran; it reminded this reviewer of a less smug Babybird.
“Fly in the Ointment” is one of the most reminiscent of Travis, and as a result, perhaps most feels the absence of the other three members’ creative energy. It’s a good song, but… just needs a bit more oomph.
Overall, this is a great album – which is exactly what one would expect from a great musician and song-writer.
