1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Traffic - Traffic - Review

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With this record, Traffic started drifting in the jazz/folk direction that later ruined it. The studio trickery is gone, but the songwriting steps up to fill the gap, and a loose, partying atmosphere draws the listener in. Mason comes down long enough to produce some of his best tunes ever, like the catchy, oddly introspective sing-along anthems "Feelin' Alright" and "Cryin' To Be Heard"; and the Winwood-Capaldi axis is also in good form, contributing some soulful R & B numbers dressed up with impenetrably bizarre lyrics (the picaresque "Pearly Queen"; the unforgettable "40,000 Headmen"). Despite some dull moments that border on bathos ("No Time to Live"), it's a solid record in the great 1960s British pop tradition.

John Alroy
Wilson & Alroy's Record Reviews

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