Kristian Hoffman: piano on tracks 3, 5, 8, 11, 12, Additional Keyboards on tracks 3, 11, Keyboards on track 5, 8, 10, Tambourine on track 8, Ghost Voices on track 8

Kristian also co-produced the following tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11

Greg Arregunn: Guitar; Carla Azor, Petur Smith: Drums; Joseph Beradi: Drums, Percussion; Mike Boito: piano; Mike Bolger: Accordion; DJ Bonebrake: Vibraphone; Paul Eckmann: Acoustic Bass; Will Glenn: Viola, Strings; Kai Gradert: German Translation; Frank Infante, Kenny Lyon: Guitar; Andrew Sandoval: Banjo; Marston Smith: Cello; The South Central String Quartet: Strings; Thomas Tally: Viola; Charles Veal, Jim Sitterly: Violin; Alicia Velasquez; Renee Stahl: Background Vocals; Kid Congo Powers: Intro Vocal on track 8

 02. Of Eyes Remain (Abby Travis)

 03. Have I Got A Deal For You (D. Jensen Bell)

 04. Sunday Is The Day For Love

 05. Hope (Kristian Hoffman)

 06. Hangover Flowers (Kristian Hoffman)

 07. Everything's Wonderful

 09. Sometimes I Wish I Had A Gun

 10. Bottom Of The Sea (slight return)

 11. Monster (Abby Travis)

 12. The Hate Song

 13. Untitled Track

Teaming with a sympathetic collaborator in producer (and sometime co-writer) Kristian Hoffman (ex-Mumps), this is sophisticated pop that hits on an array of softer sounds from Kurt Weill to Kate Bush and many other significant artists. Filled with superb songs, Travis has carved out a unique persona, obsessed with darkness both imaginary (lots of Halloween references) and real (death is confronted often), but tempered by a subtle sense of humor and a romanticism that refuses to submit to unseen forces.

"Have I Got A Deal For You" (written by D. Jensen Bell, though Travis writes or co-writes 9 tracks) is about as representative as any song of the musical diversity and unique artistic style of Travis. This smoky number takes Peggy Lee coolness on a journey through a Munchen fun haus that leads to a fatalistic netherworld that is more charming than it has any right to be. "So Far Away" and "Monster" also show off some Kurt Weill inspiration, but packaging it in, respectively, later-Beatles and jazzy frameworks.

Other stunning compositions include "Everything's Wonderful" which nearly equals the sophistication of Andy Partridge's Apple Venus work, as a bed of urgent strings glide into a variety of sumptuous melodies finally reaching the pithy and devastating chorus. "Hangover Flower" comes across like a lost 30's pop classic and "Sometimes I Wish I Had A Gun" is frosty in lyric but shakingly sexual with Travis's routinely excellent vocal and fingersnapping arrangement.

The production is simply astounding, as every instrument exists in its proper space, working in perfect union with Ms. Travis. The guest list includes Kid Congo Powers (ex-Gun Club), Andrew Sandoval, Petra Hayden, and D.J. Bonebrake (x-X) on vibraphone! (Maybe he's D.J. Hugandcuddle now). But no guest could overshadow the star of this show, who hones a keen new cutting edge on some of the classic songstylings of the past century.

^{~ Mike Bennet February 2001}