Quick Reviews: John Popper & Ann Wilson

Quite the unexpected combination of albums to talk about today.

John Popper & Jono Manson - Cabin Fever

It's been quite a while since John Popper engaged in a solo endeavor, and this one is a surprise, both in the music it delivers and the fact it exists at all. Considering that Blues Traveler's last album was covers, and their next album is slated to be covers, I figured the desire to make new music was drying up. So to hear a new record was coming along caught me off-guard. And considering that last one, John Popper & The Duskray Troubadors, was as good as it was, that means this should be a highlight of the year.

Unfortunately, it isn't. The name Blues Traveler has always been a bit of a misnomer, since there was very little blues in their sound, and it was my least favorite stuff when it did pop up. This record leans more into the blues and old Americana folk, and because of that I'm at a bit of a loss to explain my feelings toward it. While I'm always happy to hear something new from Popper, this record feels so much like a relic of history I can hear the dust in the grooves.

I've never been fond of the traditional blues structure, where we hear the same basic melody time and time again, and this record has some of that. It also has plenty of slow-moving music that is sparse, and puts the attention on lyrics that tell a story I can't bring myself to care about. All of the usual charm I associate with Popper is absent from this record, and while I'm sure it will be more enjoyable for people who love the blues and the music that inspired this bootlegging story, but that isn't me.

This is a big disappointment.

Ann Wilson & Tripsitter - Another Door

There aren't many vocalists who have ever had a better voice than Ann Wilson. Even today, her voice sounds fantastic throughout the songs on this record. Her instrument has never been in question, and she is almost always the highlight of whatever she is doing. That is both a good and a bad thing, because while it does speak to the enormous respect she deserves as a vocalist, it also speaks to the... lackluster nature of some of the material she has been singing, especially recently.

This record is frustrating because it does so little with such a magnificent voice. It's a rather slow and plodding record, but even that isn't the problem. If she wanted to focus on putting the clarity of her voice front and center, I would be on board with that. The problem is that few of these songs give her anything compelling to sing. They lack strong melodies, leaving her to push air out over an uncrossable expanse. Even with a massive voice, there are limits to how much can be accomplished.

Other than Ann's voice, there is simply nothing compelling about this record. When I hear the big Heart hits from the 80s, I still get a thrill, no matter how many times I've heard them. When I listen to this record, even with it being a totally new experience, my mind is wandering. I hate to say it, but this record just leaves me sad.