After their successful debut album of murky pop,
Travis seemingly felt a need to tinker with the formula. The product of this change is
The Man Who, a quiet album filled to the brim with atmospheric and introspective ballads. Acoustic guitars and tranquil melodies rule here, as this release is an entirely different affair than the band's revved-up debut. Fortunately for
Travis, this disc became a massive U.K. hit, spawning no less than five hugely successful singles. The album highlight is "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?," a sweeping singalong that took England by storm and became one of the biggest hits of 1999. However, despite the public's warm embrace of this album, fans of the "old"
Travis may be disappointed. Gone are the arena-ready stompers and the dirty, grimy singalong pop that comprised
Good Feeling. Instead, what is left is merely adequate;
The Man Who offers pleasant background music, but no truly gripping moments. It's lite rock for late-'90s Britain that's, unfortunately, easily forgettable. [The U.S. release of this album, which came almost a year after its initial release, contains three bonus tracks.] ~ Jason Damas