Aaron Traffas needed a change. Traffas has been writing and performing original alternative country and red dirt music for fifteen years both solo and with the Aaron Traffas Band for ten years. Apparently Traffas wanted to write songs outside his alternative country genre which resulted in Better World. The four songs really have very little in common and it is impossible to label the EP as much of anything rather than a collection of songs.
Up first is “Scatter and Succumb” which plays somewhere between ’90s punk and alternative. The song is comprised of distorted power chords, heavy hitting drums, a steady bass and vocals. It’s a fairly conventional song in terms of structure and I wanted a couple more features that made the song feel unique. “Boy in My Head” was the highlight but really was so different sounding that I thought I was listening to the wrong EP. It has a big band/jazz.dixieland type vibe that sounded a lot more fitting for Traffas. I thought this vocal style worked much better here and I really loved the horns. “Stronger Shade of Blue” is a change in style as well as mood. The song is a melancholy ballad that becomes hopeful. I thought Traffas sounded at home here as well when it came to the vocals. “Anchor or the Sail” was the other highlight. The best moments are the sing-along worthy moments. It’s very positive and grand. Traffas has talent but I have to admit I was having a hard time with his decision to put such varying styles on one EP. I can’t say it created a signature sound of any sort. Perhaps this was his pent up creativity letting go of the alternative/country genre. If I had to to pick one style I think he should pursue more it could be the jazz/big band style. That of course is arguable but it seemed to gel with him. I appreciated the EP but I am now going to take a listen to some of his back catalog to hear what he deviated from.
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