As of March 4, 2003 it has been made official. Hootie and the Blowfish are back! With their self-titled fifth disc, the boys from South Carolina are once again poised to overtake the airwaves.
Hootie and the Blowfish is the band’s first effort not to be produced by long time collaborator Don Gehman. This time around, they have employed seasoned veteran Don Was (Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Elton John) to help fine-tune their signature southern sound. Was will likely take the Blowfish further from their country/bluegrass roots and closer to a pop/rock vibe.
The new CD has the same mix of ballads and catchy pop tunes that have appeared on HBF’s past albums. The new 12-song collection still has the genuine heartfelt lyrics that fans have come to know and love. Darius Rucker and the gang artfully craft the kind of songs that people can relate to.
In an interview last year, everyone seemed excited about the nearly finished product after spending almost a year and a half apart from each other. Bassist Dean Felber said, “When we came back, it was a little bit fresh again, which it hadn’t been in a long time.”
Drummer Jim “Soni” Sonefeld agreed. “It just feels really good. The songs are collaborative in the way we used to do it. The songs when we play them just feel so alive, and I think they’re damn good songs.”
As the first single “Innocence” is gaining airplay, Hootie and the Blowfish will be touring a variety of venues in an effort to gain much needed support from more than just their loyal fan base. Over the next few months, revelers can see them in places such as House of Blues, Red Rocks, and even at Daytona National Speedway alongside Sheryl Crow, The Goo Goo Dolls, and others in the Dale Earnheardt Tribute Concert.
Perhaps the recent sabbatical will do more for Hootie’s fans than it will for the band itself. It has been seven years since Hootie and the Blowfish walked away with their Best New Artist Grammy award, and it could be time for a new generation of fans to experience the Blowfish at their best..
