October 1 , 1998

Kevin Kobos
Staff Writer

Hootie & the Blowfish
Musical Chairs

After two years of dormancy, Hootie and the Blowfish follow up their sophomore album with “Musical Chairs.”

Expecting something different?  You shouldn’t.

Hootie and the Blowfish have always had the same kind of care-free, depression-less style, and nothing has changed.  Nobody has changed seats in this game of “Musical Chairs.”

What made Hootie and the Blowfish successful with their debut album, “Cracked Rear View?”  Well, they projected themselves as a happy band, having a genuinely fun time making music, when it seemed that nobody in mainstream music was having any fun at all.

Their timing was perfect, and the public ate it up. Who could resist a group of smiling guys running around in normal preppy clothes out on a golf course for a video of one of the singles from “Cracked Rear View?”

These guys were fun.  Add some free and very valuable endorsements from ESPN Sports Center’s Dan Patrick, and this band becomes even more popular.

Hootie and the Blowfish release another album in the midst of an unhappy music scene with “Musical Chairs.”

Upon listening to the album, I was immediately moved to run out to the driving range and get a bucket of balls for a fine mid-September afternoon.  This is what Hootie and the Blowfish do.

How can people NOT like Hootie and the Blowfish?  Their music is instantly likeable, extremely catchy, and it exists for people to have a good time when listening to it.  Enjoy it. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. If you don’t enjoy it, seek help, you pessimist!

While you’re at those psychological sessions, we Hootie revelers will be out shooting pool, playing ping-pong and grinning from ear to ear.

Darius Rucker’s smile can be felt all over this CD. The blue-grassy “Desert Mountain Showdown” starts off with a giggle from Rucker, and then goes into the cheery tune, “Love is gone but now I see/ you’ve gotta capture me to set me free.”

Or take this one from “I Will Wait,” “When I wake to find the solace of/ all that we’ve become / I can’t wait to make the promises / I’ve been leery of.”

It’s so optimistic, it could almost be cheesy.  But who cares?  The music is perfect background noise and the lyrics can fade in and out whenever you so wish.

“Cracked Rear View” became one of the best-selling records of all time with 10 million copies sold.  Hootie’s second album, “Fairweather Johnson,” marked a serious downfall for Hootie, selling only three million copies.

Will their latest release be another “Fairweather Johnson,” or will it be like their major label debut?

The music scene doesn’t seem to be begging for a good-time bar band anymore. There are a lot of other bands (The Goo Goo Dolls, The Wallflowers, etc.) that fill that need right now.

But then again, there is the other extreme, with Rage Against the Machine and Marilyn Manson.

The world just doesn’t seem in need of Hootie-type music right now.

“Musical Chairs” will probably be compared to “Fairweather Johnson” since the public already knows what Hootie and the Blowfish are all about.

“Cracked Rear View” was a gem at the time, but now the music is known to everyone.

Despite Hootie’s likeable style, there is simply no outstanding reason to add “Musical Chairs” to your collection.

***1/2