Loyalty brings its own rewards.
Pat Travers Band - Fidelis
Pat Travers Band - Fidelis
Five years after his last studio release of all new material and a delay in releasing this new album, 'Fidelis' finally hit the Heat of the Streets in March 2010.
Pat Travers has, as the title of his seminal second album suggests, been 'Makin' Magic' for three and a half decades and in that time has produced his own brand of rhythm & blues melodic rock and roll including slices of Hendrix-esque hard rock fusion, traditional r&b, eighties rock, a blues period throughout most of the nineties (similar to Gary Moore's transition from guitar hero to blues virtuoso), before a full circle return to the Pat Travers Band sound of guitar riffing rock 'n' roll and blues rock, as heard on 2005's 'PT=MC2' and this latest offering.
Not that it's been plain sailing for the Canadian rocker - after a commercially successful musically and critically acclaimed decade (from the mid seventies to the mid eighties) circumstances, not of his own making, dictated that there would be six years between the melodic rock of 'Hot Shot' and his comeback album, the perfectly titled 'School of Hard Knocks'.
But a lot can happen in six years regarding musical fashions, what sells, and how quickly you can be forgotten, and Travers did suffer. PT got into a blues groove recording albums for Blues Bureau International Records, but still playing with as much musical passion as he had in his original period of success, and still giving 100%.
And there, my friends, is the difference between Patrick Henry Travers and the others now playing clubs and medium sized theaters after the Hay Daze of the stadiums and large auditoriums - whether playing to the masses at Festivals, thousands of fans, or a club of a few hundred, PT gives the same effort, the same energy, and the same good time vibe, each and every time.
I've seen PT and the various incarnations of the band in four different decades, playing to both thousands and scant hundreds, and I've never been disappointed in the performance or the music.
And so to Fidelis.
Building on the musical rock foundations of PT=MC2, Fidelis is arguably the best Travers album since those halcyon days of the classic Pat Travers Band that featured such luminaries as Tommy Aldridge on drums and Pat Thrall on guitars, or even the sorely under-rated 'Black Pearl' band and album of 1982.
The opener, the hot and rockin' 'Ask Me Baby' and the following number, the slower but no less raunchy 'Edge of Darkness' set the tone, although some of the finer moments are the lighter tracks such as 'When I'm With You' and 'Stay'.
The latter could be described as a guitar led power ballad but where Stay differs from other PT guitar ballads such as the classic 'Stevie' is that this number is very much a stripped back, limited overdubbed piece, as is the whole album - and it's all the better for it.
Indeed, another plus is the clear chemistry and comfort zone that now exists in this latest version of the Pat Travers Band, aided and abetted by Kirk McKim on guitars, Sean Shannon powering the band from behind the kit, and Rodney O'Quinn on bass. Special mention must go to O'Quinn as I honestly feel he compliments PT and the band in a way not seen or heard in a Pat Travers line-up since the departure of unarguably Travers' right hand man throughout the seventies, eighties, and appearances up until 1993, Peter 'Mars' Cowling.
A more unassuming and approachable musician you will not find - other than Patrick Henry himself. Shooting the breeze with these guys isn't just a pleasure, it's a privilege.
Fidelis finishes in typical Travers style - the penultimate number 'Yeah Yeah' is, to all intents and purposes, an instrumental, and on his non-Blues recordings PT usually features at least one instrumental on each album. The closer, 'So Missing You', is a rocking slide-blues number that reflects Travers' blues sensibilities that were on display so prominently in the nineties.
Fidelis is also going to be promoted fully and the push is on to get the Pat Travers Band back in the musical spotlight where they deserve to be, and their own Facebook page is also helping with p.r. as the Hammerheads (the name given to Travers' loyal fan base) help out with word of mouth, promotion,and their own unofficial/ part-time p.r. (smart move, and much the same as 'Rock Sugar' are doing to promote themselves and their brilliant 'Reimaginator' album, also reviewed on this site).
Why Pat Travers and band are not bigger than they currently are, as regards fan base and commercial success, is a true mystery in rock music circles, but Fidelis will hopefully go a long way to correcting that anomaly.
It may not be the greatest rock album of all time, it's not the greatest ever Pat Travers release, but it is a bloody good album, available now via a number of official download sites on both sides of the pond, including Amazon's MP3 download sections. The CD release will be sometime in May.
Oh, and its got the best album cover in the history of PT releases.
Perfect title too, and one that works on a number of levels, not least between Patrick Henry Travers and his loyal fans.
Pat Travers has, as the title of his seminal second album suggests, been 'Makin' Magic' for three and a half decades and in that time has produced his own brand of rhythm & blues melodic rock and roll including slices of Hendrix-esque hard rock fusion, traditional r&b, eighties rock, a blues period throughout most of the nineties (similar to Gary Moore's transition from guitar hero to blues virtuoso), before a full circle return to the Pat Travers Band sound of guitar riffing rock 'n' roll and blues rock, as heard on 2005's 'PT=MC2' and this latest offering.
Not that it's been plain sailing for the Canadian rocker - after a commercially successful musically and critically acclaimed decade (from the mid seventies to the mid eighties) circumstances, not of his own making, dictated that there would be six years between the melodic rock of 'Hot Shot' and his comeback album, the perfectly titled 'School of Hard Knocks'.
But a lot can happen in six years regarding musical fashions, what sells, and how quickly you can be forgotten, and Travers did suffer. PT got into a blues groove recording albums for Blues Bureau International Records, but still playing with as much musical passion as he had in his original period of success, and still giving 100%.
And there, my friends, is the difference between Patrick Henry Travers and the others now playing clubs and medium sized theaters after the Hay Daze of the stadiums and large auditoriums - whether playing to the masses at Festivals, thousands of fans, or a club of a few hundred, PT gives the same effort, the same energy, and the same good time vibe, each and every time.
I've seen PT and the various incarnations of the band in four different decades, playing to both thousands and scant hundreds, and I've never been disappointed in the performance or the music.
And so to Fidelis.
Building on the musical rock foundations of PT=MC2, Fidelis is arguably the best Travers album since those halcyon days of the classic Pat Travers Band that featured such luminaries as Tommy Aldridge on drums and Pat Thrall on guitars, or even the sorely under-rated 'Black Pearl' band and album of 1982.
The opener, the hot and rockin' 'Ask Me Baby' and the following number, the slower but no less raunchy 'Edge of Darkness' set the tone, although some of the finer moments are the lighter tracks such as 'When I'm With You' and 'Stay'.
The latter could be described as a guitar led power ballad but where Stay differs from other PT guitar ballads such as the classic 'Stevie' is that this number is very much a stripped back, limited overdubbed piece, as is the whole album - and it's all the better for it.
Indeed, another plus is the clear chemistry and comfort zone that now exists in this latest version of the Pat Travers Band, aided and abetted by Kirk McKim on guitars, Sean Shannon powering the band from behind the kit, and Rodney O'Quinn on bass. Special mention must go to O'Quinn as I honestly feel he compliments PT and the band in a way not seen or heard in a Pat Travers line-up since the departure of unarguably Travers' right hand man throughout the seventies, eighties, and appearances up until 1993, Peter 'Mars' Cowling.
A more unassuming and approachable musician you will not find - other than Patrick Henry himself. Shooting the breeze with these guys isn't just a pleasure, it's a privilege.
Fidelis finishes in typical Travers style - the penultimate number 'Yeah Yeah' is, to all intents and purposes, an instrumental, and on his non-Blues recordings PT usually features at least one instrumental on each album. The closer, 'So Missing You', is a rocking slide-blues number that reflects Travers' blues sensibilities that were on display so prominently in the nineties.
Fidelis is also going to be promoted fully and the push is on to get the Pat Travers Band back in the musical spotlight where they deserve to be, and their own Facebook page is also helping with p.r. as the Hammerheads (the name given to Travers' loyal fan base) help out with word of mouth, promotion,and their own unofficial/ part-time p.r. (smart move, and much the same as 'Rock Sugar' are doing to promote themselves and their brilliant 'Reimaginator' album, also reviewed on this site).
Why Pat Travers and band are not bigger than they currently are, as regards fan base and commercial success, is a true mystery in rock music circles, but Fidelis will hopefully go a long way to correcting that anomaly.
It may not be the greatest rock album of all time, it's not the greatest ever Pat Travers release, but it is a bloody good album, available now via a number of official download sites on both sides of the pond, including Amazon's MP3 download sections. The CD release will be sometime in May.
Oh, and its got the best album cover in the history of PT releases.
Perfect title too, and one that works on a number of levels, not least between Patrick Henry Travers and his loyal fans.
See you in the fifth different decade next time you are in my neck of the woods, boys - it's my round.
From the streets of Toronto to the streets of your local music theatre, and still kicking your arse...The Pat Travers Band.
From the streets of Toronto to the streets of your local music theatre, and still kicking your arse...The Pat Travers Band.
Ross Muir
March 2010
The following audio tracks are presented to accompany the above review.
No infringement of copyright is intended.
Ask Me Baby.
March 2010
The following audio tracks are presented to accompany the above review.
No infringement of copyright is intended.
Ask Me Baby.
Stay.
So Missing You.