Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 08/09/2005
Hootie & the Blowfish's fifth studio effort is the first to feature extensive co-songwriting credits, as well as a few well-placed guest musicians. Recording
Looking for Lucky in Nashville after wrapping up the tour for their 2004
Best Of set,
Hootie & the Blowfish were joined by
Fairweather Johnson producer
Don Gehman as well as engineer
Nick Brophy, who contributed some programming and "great noises" to the songs. That doesn't mean
Darius Rucker is suddenly singing through a vocoder, or
Jim Sonefeld has been replaced by the tinfoil prattle of
electronic percussion. No way.
Hootie & the Blowfish sound as natural as ever on
Looking for Lucky, their ear for melody intact through a slick 12-song set of rootsy
pop with insightful nods to
country,
blues, and
gospel.
Brophy's work is clear on
"Hey Sister Pretty," where a guitar effect broods behind the main vocal and the song is mixed like a single from
Train or
Better Than Ezra.
Rucker still sings in that rousing baritone, and the harmonies and acoustic strum tag it as
Hootie. But the band's sound benefits from the slight makeover -- nothing fancy, just a slight tweak toward modernization. Elsewhere on
Lucky, additional songwriting from folks like
Matraca Berg and
the Silos'
Walter Salas-Humara brings more depth to the lyrics and arrangements. So
"Smile" gives
Rucker a chance to sing in a slightly higher register, while
"Leaving" is a gently mischievous hybrid of
progressive bluegrass and
pop with
New Grass Revival members
Sam Bush and
John Cowan guesting on mandolin, fiddle, and vocals. Other
Looking for Lucky highlights include
John Hobbs' organ on
"Get Out of My Mind" adding punch to its already bustling chorus --
"Mind" also finds
Rucker drinking alone again -- and the evocative
"Killing Stone," the collaboration with
Berg, which would fit nicely on a
contemporary country album.
~Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
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