As one of the closet members of the population who are still afraid to admit
their confusion over the term "alternative," I am amply qualified to write
about Hootie and the Blowfish. Their sound may initially seem vaguely
familiar and deceptively commercial, but as an experienced listener of their
music I have found their roots are as enigmatic as their alternative
classification. With the combined sounds of Memphis blues and Seattle grunge,
Cracked Rear View conveys a sentimentality reminiscent of the folk singers
of the sixties. With tracks ranging from "Hold My Hand" to "Not Even the
Trees," the album is devoted to dissecting human relations. Issues of love
and loneliness are interspersed with those of racism and death. The result
is a map of the writers' lives that is reflective of the universal path we
all take. Added to this hodgepodge of style and lyrics are the orgasmic
vocals of Darius Rucker. He is the eye of the musical storm that is Hootie
and the Blowfish. Even while he and the band arh. Even while he and the band are raging against the nation
in my own personal favorite, "Drowning," his vocals massage the listener and
bring her a little closer to paradise. In short, I worship at his musical
throne. My only complaint is there are no clear pictures of him on the album
cover (or of any of the members of the band). It will come as no surprise to
the reader that I loved this album. So, to those of you who hated it and this
review, I have some words of advice given to me by the late Lee Marvin in the
polygamist musical Paint Your Wagon - "who gives a damn?" I have Darius to
keep me company.