****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
" Far From Home" is sort of a Steve Winwood album with the ghost of Traffic. Not really a true traffic album in the spirit of those before their breakup 20 years before. But could it be with Chris Wood gone and just Winwood and Capaldi left from the original lineup.I do like this album a lot, but I think Far From Home is more truly a Winwood solo album with Capaldi's rhythms driving most of the Traffic feeling in here. Overall about 70% Winwood solo feel and 30% Traffic feel. Like the ghost or a shadow up Traffic is cast upon what would otherwise be another Winwood solo album.All that said I'm glad to have any more Traffic content after so long. My favorite tracks are Mozambique and State of Grace, though I like them all.Most of the songs have some Traffic feel inside them but almost all feel like a blend to me. I've taken the tracks and assigned percentages based on my very subjective impression. In this W = Winwood Solo Feel and T = Traffic Feeling1: Riding High 5:33 (W 100%)2: Here Comes A Man 5:08 (W 30% T 70%)3: Far From Home 8:36 (W 60% T 40%)4: Nowhere Is Their Freedom 7:00 (W 70% T 30%)5: Holy Ground 7:50 (W 60% T 40%)6: Some Kinda Woman 5:28 (W 60% T 40%)7: Every Night Every Day 5:32 (W 60% T 40%)8: This Train Won't Stop 5:26 (W 70% T 30%)9: State Of Grace 7:18 (W 0% T 100%)10: Mozambique 4:24 (W 0% T 100%)I am torn on how many stars to give "Far From Home". Just the music deserves 5 stars, but I don't feel it's correctly represented as a Traffic album. I can't decide if I want to take a whole star away, so I'm going to give it a reserved 5 stars.If you are looking for a true new Traffic album you might be disappointed. If you are looking for a Steve Winwood album with a Traffic feel on some of the tracks you'll probably be very satisfied.
