Page 49 - BiTS_09_SEPTEMBER_2021

Tiffany Pollack—Bayou Liberty—Nola Blue ASIN:

B093CHHGYW

This is apparently Tiffany's second album and sees her playing
with her recently reunited cousin guitarist Eric Johanson. The
album was produced by singer harp player John Nemeth who
plays chromatic harp on the opening blues 'Spit On Your Grave'
(Tiffany was a licensed mortician!) and although Tiffany is from

the Crescent City she recorded with John in Memphis on tape at
Electraphonic Studios for that old skool feel. It's not all blues
though, 'Crawfish and Beer' is a lighthearted, amusing song and
'Mountain' is a country ballad and one of my favourite tracks is
'Hourglasses' a melodic song that blends an almost acoustic backing with honking sax out front.
'Baby Boys' is another melodic ballad which features mother of three Tiffany musing on the
sometimes tragic fate of mother's sons. At times I wasn't entirely convinced by Tiffany's voice and I

thought that in general she handled the non-blues songs better but this is a pleasant enough record
with well-played backing and some reasonable original songs.

Graham Harrison

Blues Traveler—Traveler's Blues—Round Hill Records ASIN:
B092HHBDRB

This new record from Blues Traveler is a covers album which
also features guests on nearly every track, including Christone
“Kingfish” Ingram, Rita Wilson, John Scofield, Warren Haynes
and Keb’ Mo’. It was produced by Willy Nelson’s producer Matt
Rollings, who probably also roped in Willie’s harp player Mickey
Raphael. We start with a straight ahead cover of Son Seals’

‘Funky Bitch’ with nice harp from Mr. Popper – he starts off quite
restrained but soon slips into his 100MPH soloing, then it’s three
blues classics - Jimmy Reed’s ‘You Got Me Runnin’ with Crystal
Bowersox helping John out on the vocals, Freddie King’s ‘Tore
Down’ given the Bo Diddley treatment and with Wendy Moten on vocals, then it’s Big Mama
Thornton’s slow blues ‘Ball & Chain’, with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram adding his lead guitar and
sharing vocals.

We then leave ‘The Blues’ behind for Gnarls Barkley’s No. 1 hit ‘Crazy’ (?!) with Rita Wilson helping
out on vocals and John Scofield adding some nice jazzy guitar and guess what? it works, with Mr.
Popper just singing rather than also adding his harp. The harp (and also the blues) is back on the
old Mississippi Sheiks’ classic ‘Sittin’ On Top of the World’ with Warren Haynes on slide guitar and
vocals and nice piano from the band’s Ben Wilson, then it’s Little Willie John’s ‘Need Your Love So
Bad’ with The War and Treaty adding their sensational voices. I felt the cover of The Doors

‘Roadhouse Blues’ was a bit routine (I would have liked to have heard John and Mickey have at it in
a harp battle) ditto J.J. Cale’s ‘Call Me the Breeze’ but we finish on a high with Keb’ Mo’ joining the
boys for a relaxed romp through the old classic ‘Trouble in Mind’ - more nice piano from Wilson and
guitar from Chan Kinchla, the band is completed by Tad Kinchla (bass) and Brendan Hill (drums).
I’m not the biggest fan of Blues Traveler (they can’t even spell their name right!) but I couldn’t help
liking this record, ‘Crazy’ and all. I thought that they didn’t overdo the jam band interpretation of