Travis

The Boy With No Name

[3/5] There’s something refreshingly old-fashioned about Travis, four nice Scots making wistful-yet-sing-along pop that has little in common with any trend of the last 20-odd years. So even though this is the band’s first album since 2003, it seems like they’ve never been away. Travis’ best feature remains Fran Healy’s choirboy vocals, and the songs that stretch them the most in service of genuine soul-the ballads “Closer” and “Battleships,” as well as the Motownish stomper “Selfish Jean”-are genuinely swell. The less-demanding tunes are pretty but indistinct, and “My Eyes,” a soppy ode to Healy’s son, may be tough listening for those without infants of their own. Overall, The Boy With No Name has just enough personality to remind imitators like Coldplay and Keane from whence they came. (EPIC) Dan LeRoy