All Y'all

Album review

Travis Morrison's songwriting gifts are nearly boundless -- that fact was immediately clear from the debut of the Dismemberment Plan. And Morrison proved his fortunes weren't yoked to that band with a succession of excellent songs on his 2004 solo debut, Travistan. Three long years later, he released All Y'All, which isn't exactly a solo record; it was recorded with a new band, Travis Morrison Hellfighters, including bassist Brandon Kalber, drummer Saadat Awan, and percussionist David Brown. The band had come together shortly after the release of Travistan, and soon began sprinkling new songs into its sets until mid-2005, when the group tried to record some songs in several abortive sessions. Little happened during the next year, but the band reconvened in September 2006 with producer (and former Morrison bandmate) Jason Caddell in Chicago. Morrison's songwriting talents still make for memorable material; "I'm Not Supposed to Like You (But)" is a bracing opener, and "Catch Up" cycles through three distinct but related songs within its five minutes. Many listeners won't notice the differences between this record and all previous Morrison material, but the production is cleaner, while the playing is less raw but more earthy and slightly more accomplished. Hellfighters are able to translate Morrison's ideas with a very natural feel, although one thing missing is the sheer excitement and unpredictability that Dismemberment Plan always brought to their material. Travis Morrison has a band he can be proud of, and one that can provide an effective accompaniment for his songs, although the old magic of the Dismemberment Plan will be very difficult to conjure again.

© John Bush /TiVo