Sister Hazel - "Absolutely" (Adrenaline Music, 2006)

Sister Hazel had a few hits in the mid-nineties and should have fallen off the face of the earth when their style went out with Hootie and his Blowfish. Thankfully, however, a few things in life don't have to change. This southern country-rock outfit from Gainesville, Florida, hasn't changed a bit since 1993, as Absolutely shows clearly. "Mandolin Moon" would have been a pop hit for them ten years ago, and should be now, though radio has unfortunately moved on. And the band has gelled over the years while recording albums no one's heard. What that means for fans in 2006 is that their music is consistently ear-catching, and there's not a "Velvet Elvis" to be found. And when they push the envelope a bit, as on the rock-tinged "Anyway," Sister Hazel almost sounds ready to conquer a new century of radio audiences. But they're at their best with "Everything Else Disappears," which is one of those guilty-pleasure slow acoustic melodies that can't help but hook. There's no shame in appreciating that a band can still sound this good after six albums. What's shameful is that, now that they're no longer on Universal, few are going to give this effort more than a cursory glance.

All reviews (c) Jonathan Sanders, 2004-2006, all rights reserved. No part of these reviews may be retransmitted without express written permission.