SMILING PHASES

Traffic: Steve Winwood (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Dave Mason (vocals, guitar); Jim Capaldi (vocals, drums); Chris Wood (flute, saxophone); Jim Gordon (drums), Rebop Kwaku Baah (percussion), Roger Hawkins (drums). Traffic was one of the most delightful and inventive bands poised between the late '60s and early '70s. The group began as a lightly psychedelic, folk-inflected outfit but, amidst personnel changes, developed into a jam-happy band with a beefed-up percussion section. In that final incarnation, Traffic's ten-minute long musical excursions were never less than interesting. SMILING PHASES traces Traffic's history over two discs, making a strong case for the validity of every point on the band's growth curve. The first disc draws from Traffic's first era--the albums MR. FANTASY, TRAFFIC, and LAST EXIT. "Heaven Is In Your Mind" neatly encapsulates just what makes Traffic so memorable, as easy transitions seem to organically lead into one another. The second disc covers the studio albums between JOHN BARLEYCORN MUST DIE and WHEN THE EAGLE FLIES. Throughout it all, Steve Winwood's rich, evocative, and soulful vocals remain Traffic's easiest point of entry. SMILING PHASES is a great collection devoted to a band that should not be forgotten.