Traveling

by Steve Poltz

Overview

Singer/songwriter Steve Poltz demonstrates his craftsmanship on Traveling, a varied album of story-songs that range from complete fiction to apparently straightforward autobiography. The latter is represented by the longest cut, "Brief History of My Life," which follows Poltz from Canada to San Diego, including encounters with Liberace and Elvis Presley along the way. Those provide examples of Poltz's wit, which occasionally tips over into sarcasm. But he can also be seriously critical, as in "Street Fighter's Face," a first-person imagining of the life of a Marine wounded in Iraq that is part of a long tradition of antiwar folk songs, even if this one is set to a driving rock arrangement. Producer and multi-instrumentalist Billy Harvey deserves credit for that musical setting as for the others, which can give a pop sheen to Poltz's otherwise quirky songs. Harvey coaxes varied vocal performances from Poltz, even including falsetto, and makes his music more accessible than it might be with just the singer and his acoustic guitar. In doing so, he serves the songs well and makes them the point of the disc, as they should be with a songwriter as clever as this. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	01/22/2008
Label:	98 Pounder
UPC:	0691065001127
Rank:	166381

Tracks

1. I Think She Likes Me
2. Rains
3. What Would Gandhi Do?
4. Haters' Union
5. Serve Me My Food
6. I Believe
7. Brief History of My Life
8. Street Fighter's Face
9. Nickel
10. Stay Away a Little Closer
11. Break on Through

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Steve Poltz   Primary Artist,Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Omnichord,Guitar (Acoustic)
Conrad Choucroun   Percussion,Drums
Beaver Nelson   Vocal Harmony
David Garza   Fender Rhodes
Darin Murphy   Drums
Michael Ramos   Piano,Bongos,Organ (Hammond)
Gary Newcomb   Pedal Steel
Billy Harvey   Bass,Organ,Piano,Guitar,Melodica,Mellotron,Omnichord,Stylophone,Vocal Harmony,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
Dony Wynn   Drums,Percussion
Judith Nelson   Guitar (Electric),Guitar (12 String Acoustic)
George Reiff   Bass

Technical Credits

Dave McNair   Mastering
Anya Marina   Composer
Lars Goeransson   Mixing
Patrick Dennis   Design,Art Direction
Robert Henning   Photography
Sharon Daddi   Photography
Gregory Page   Photography
Milan Crncevic   Photography
Billy Harvey   Engineer,Producer,Instrumentation
Steve Parr   Photography
Lars Gorlandson   Mixing
John H.R. Mills   String Arrangements
Frank Lee Drennen   Cover Photo,Photography
Steve Poltz   Composer,Liner Notes,Photography
John Castro   Photography