108. Traffic — Traffic (1968)

1. This here appears to be an album, but look closer and you’ll findwe have TWO rock and roll albums. EP’s, really — just depends which songs you listen to. Just under half of them were written and sung by Dave Mason, who’d left the band and returned in time for this record; the others by Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi. I’m not sure which of the two I prefer, as they’re both solid.
2. Mason gets the standout track; “Feelin’ Alright” is a stone cold jam, and his tunes hint at the Allman Bros, Doobie Bros, other Bros style of yacht rock that had not quite found its place yet. They’re super pleasant, and that one song is killer.
3. The Winwood tunes have more of an edge to them; “Pearly Queen” is almost Clapton-esque; “Who Knows What Tomorrow Will Bring” actually has some funk to it. On a whole Winwood brings a higher floor, but doesn’t quite reach the heights of “Feelin’ Alright”.
4. A solid album from a band I’d not heard of before.

One Essential Song:

Listen on Spotify: