Hootie & the Blowfish
Looking for Lucky

(Sneaky Long/Vanguard)

First Appeared in The Music Box, August 2005, Volume 12, #8

Written by John Metzger

Seemingly overnight, Hootie & the Blowfish went from selling its music out of the back of a van to achieving multi-platinum sales figures with its major label debut Cracked Rear View. Fame, however, is fleeting, and 11 years later, the group has slipped so far from its superstar status that the release of its last outing received less attention than did front man Darius Rucker’s recent decision to don a rhinestone cowboy suit in order to hock sandwiches for a fast-food chain. On its latest effort Looking for Lucky, the ensemble has reunited with producer Don Gehman, who assisted in sculpting the band’s biggest hits, and not surprisingly, the result is largely the same. Indeed, throughout the collection’s 12 tracks, Hootie & the Blowfish earnestly delivers its inoffensively endearing blend of pop-leaning, roots-oriented rock with all the easy-going, feel-good effervescence that its long-standing fans have come to expect. Unfortunately, this time around, the melodies aren’t nearly as memorable as those on its past endeavors, and despite the song cycle’s genesis with the Nashville music scene, it isn’t until the final few tracks that the collective truly takes advantage of its surroundings. As a result, Looking for Lucky is about as straightforward and safe an album as Hootie & the Blowfish ever has created.

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Ratings

1 Star:   Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!

Copyright © 2005 The Music Box