Although readily identifiable, Travis.. music, like the band itself, is not easy to pigeonhole. Beautiful, deeply affecting melodies are offset by raunchy, raucious rockers. Melancholic, dark or introspective lyrics in one song will be replaced by loving or joyful sentiments in the next. The natural, highly crafted melodies of main songwriter, Fran Healy, however, are a central feature of nearly all of Travis' music, as are his searching, beguiling and intelligent lyrics. Healy..s song writing has been publicly praised by numerous artists, including Paul McCartney and Elton John. In 2005, Coldplay front-man, Chris Martin, called himself ..a poor man..s Fran Healy... This is augmented by Healy..s heartfelt, and deeply humane, honest voice .. a tenor with a very wide range. Hearing Healy sing the song "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" for the first time brought Oasis's Noel Gallagher to tears.
In addition to strong melodies, Healy's voice, and the band..s musicianship (especially that of lead guitarist, Andy Dunlop), another feature common to many Travis songs is the use of vocal harmony. With Payne and Dunlop having good singing voices in their own right, the band are able to sing off each other in different keys .. something Travis regularly do.
