Track Listing

1. In Love With a View
2. Trying to Reach You
3. My Life in Art
4. Return to Sender
5. When You're Drifting
6. Anyday Will Be Fine
7. She Broke You So Softly
8. Prayer for the Paranoid [Electric Version]
9. Bringin' Me Home
10. Got My Sunshine
11. Krazy Koz
12. Always Right - Mojave 3,

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #154064 in Music
• Released on: 2000-09-05
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.com
Neil Halstead is emerging as one of the greatest country singers Great Britain has ever birthed. Such a list might be short, but Halstead is leading it nonetheless. Having contributed two outstanding tracks to Manifesto Records' Tim Buckley tribute album, Sing a Song for You, Halstead and his band are on a solid creative roll. Excuses for Travellers, Mojave 3's third album, is arguably the band's best. Any previous tentative feelings have been replaced by the confident, delicate roll of pedal steel that sweeps through these bittersweet tunes. "In Love with a View," "Trying to Reach You," and "When You're Drifting" stick out immediately, but most of these songs unpeel slowly with each listen. Just as the Cowboy Junkies and Nick Drake--to whom they are not necessarily compared but definitely spiritually connected--quietly pleaded their case, Mojave 3 are determined to mature subtly. --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews

An Old Favourite
This CD has long been a darling in my collection. I mention it a lot, reccomend it to friends, play it when I'm feeling down. Something about this album evokes a very strong emotion in me and gives me a very self-fulfilled feeling. I don't know how they've done it, but Mojave 3 have created a great album.

Neil Halstead sings on all but one song, and his wispy vocals are a highlight. He tells stories of love lost and gone wrong, of trying to make it in a big world that owes you nothing, of heartache, but of the glory that comes out of that sadness. The remaining track ("Bringin' Me Home") has vocal duties handed over to Rachel Goswell, which is one of the album's most delightful moments: a somewhat more chipper (in mood at least) song in the vein of Belle & Sebastian.

Musically, the album evoke a solid image. Some songs especially ("My Life in Art," "In Love With a View," "Prayer for the Paranoid," "She Broke You So Softly") recall images of sunsets, cowboys and dusty trails. Slide guitars, mellow strumming and lighter percussion paints the pictures in lots of warm colours. Of course it's not a country album, precisely, but the songs mix a strong country influence with some folk and pleasant soft rock to create that kind of mood. This is a largely acoustic album, but electric lead parts create some of the most gorgeous moods. It also has a full band sound to it, with the bass and drums sometimes more prevalent than others, but always providing the perfect backing.

One big criticism I've heard of this album is the fairly even level of the songs keep througout (ie: no variety). It's true that Mojave 3 really only do one thing here, but they do it very well, in my humble opinion. Check 'em out.

Will Always Be One of My Favorites
I first owned this on record. This is the perfect album for:
Roadtrips alone.
Roadtrips with a good friend.
A broken heart.
Anytime.

Neil Halstead reminds me of Nick Drake. Prayer for the Paranoid is a great song. I like that so far all of Mojave 3's albums have sounded somewhat different. This album has more of an "Out of Tune" feel to it than "Ask Me Tomorrow". It isn't Slowdive, but that's fine because it's nice to hear more than one type of music from a good band.

Music to wallow in.
As a die hard "Slowdive" fan, the transition to "Mojave 3" (I thought) would be hard to stomach. While I really enjoyed "Out of Tune" I couldnt help shake that "Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young" throwback vibe. "Excuses for Travelers" shows a maturity and self-identity that the last album seemed to lack. I really, really dig this album. I was recently vacationing on the "Isle of Skye" in Scotland. Driving around that beautifull place while listening to this CD (especially the track "My life in Art") was almost a relegious experience. This is truly a great CD and should not be missed. The ironic thing is that Mr. Halstead paints (to me at least) more of an "American" picture on some songs that our own countrymen only wish they could.