Recording in Nashville and using outside co-writers for the first time, Hootie & the Blowfish have shaken up their established formula with excellent results. “The Killing Stone”, written with Matraca Berg, is the high-water mark, with a ripped-from-scripture chorus and a gospel-tinged hook. “A Smile”, co-written with Walter Salas-Humara of the Silos, will bring a grin to fans of Beach Boys-style pop. “Leaving”, written with Paul Sanchez of Cowboy Mouth, goes the newgrass route, with Sam Bush and John Cowan filling in the appropriate sounds. The opening track, “State Your Peace”, gives the most promising outlook for the future; it rocks with an insistence not heard from Hootie since their decade-old debut. With a string of less successful albums since, however, is anyone left to hear it this time around?
Waxed - Record Review from Issue #59 Sept-Oct 2005
Hootie & The Blowfish
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Originally Featured in Issue #59 Sept-Oct 2005
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