Blues Traveler and its harmonica-wielding frontman, John Popper, have been making music for almost 20 years now. Along the way, they managed to get songs like "Run-Around" and "Hook" on the radio with little compromise of their jam-band aesthetic. But their latest album, Cover Yourself, sounds like a really bad joke.
Unlike, say, Tony Bennett singing an album of Frank Sinatra tunes or Tori Amos paying a CD-long tribute to her favorite male singer-songwriters, Blues Traveler recently released an entire album of cover songs originally made famous by . . . Blues Traveler. Um, isn't this usually called Greatest Hits? While the songs are stripped and unplugged, it's still a boneheaded concept. If you ever wondered what it's like to hang out with former MTV stars first thing in the morning, before the first cup of coffee's even been poured, Cover Yourself gives you a pretty good idea. Let's hope Popper and crew are more awake when they come to town this week.
