Fran Healy Goes Solo

I'll be the first to admit that I was a fan of Travis' mopey rock from the get go. Singer, Fran Healy's voice was this odd version of Scottish with a depressingly sad croon that hit you right between the ears. If you've ever heard, "Sing," or "Why Does It Always Rain On Me," you know what I'm talking about. It's really no wonder that Travis were essentially Coldplay before Coldplay came around and their swelling emotionally charged pop was all over the place in the mid-90's.

Now over a decade on, Travis' main man has decided to step out on his own and release his debut solo album Wreckorder and as might be expected, it's quite the little record. Essentially sounding like a mellower Travis, Wreckorder, is an emotional shimmery pop record that sees Healy continue to develop as an artist. Sophisticated and sounding as if he's been doing this forever, which in reality he just about has, Healy creates intriguing melodies using not only his voice but those of Neko Case and Frederique Labbow to give the songs an extra added element of emotion and depth. The result is a well rounded record that's not overly in a hurry to be anywhere and kind of shuffles its way across ten songs that make it up. With an additional appearance by Sir Paul McCartney, on "As It Comes," the record is given an additional dose of coolness that most solo records like this are clearly lacking.

Wreckorder is a moody treat of Travis-lite material that shows Fran Healy to be a gifted songwriter even without his normal band. From the dramatic and occasionally funny, "Buttercups," to the nearly Radiohead like ambience of "Shadow Boxing," Wreckorder is an enjoyable trip through Fran Healy's emotions. Not necessarily a pop record and definitely not a singer/songwriter sort of thing, Healy hovers in the murky area between them all. He's a creative, thoughtful guy and he's able to write songs that wrap themselves around your heart and refuse to let go.