Cracked Rear View

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
iCracked Rear View Mirror/i marks the commercial debut of these college buddies from South Carolina and it sold an astonishing 13 million copies in its first year of release. With Darius Rucker's ringing baritone and Mark Bryan's muscular guitar framing Jim Sonefeld's bluesy, energetic southern folk rock tunes, it's easy to understand its success: It's the kind of thoroughly likeable album people sing along with on the car radio. When Rucker demands, "Stand up and let me see you smile", there's something that feels real and convincing behind it; sure, it's a formula, but a sincere one and it works over and over again. Songs like "Let Her Cry", "Hold My Hand" and "Running from an Angel" lay down the rhythm for a cohesive, feel-good collection. There may not be a lot of virtuosity behind it but there's plenty of fun. i--Barrie Trinkle/i

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Customer reviews

review by: motorway67 date: 2009-04-03 rating:
cracked but no way broken
Well, if you originate from the other side of the pond, you will doubtless be aware of this, selling millions in the US as it did - but this album really is rather good. Once tracks such as "let her cry" and "Time" get into your brain...they're not going anywhere sometime soon. Hard to think of a weak track here - maybe drowning is only quite good but it is Darius Rucker's voice that soars throughout and makes this album so distinctive. Together with the slightly later "Musical Chairs" this is a first rate example of a band at the peak of their powers. Maybe the decline set in rather to soon once we entered the noughties but if you buy this, I defy you to be disappointed.

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review by: jezdobbie date: 2005-01-22 rating:
The Best Hootie Album...By Miles!!
I first heard this cd in a bar and i just had to ask who it was..I didn't know who Hootie And The Blowfish were then but I do now!This cd is amazing "Hold My Hand" and "Let Her Cry" are my two faves on this debut set..hasn't Darius Rucker got the most amazing voice?..That said this is their best album and I now have all their cds and this one is the best..I'm glad I discovered them...buy this cd and you will be too!!

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review by: andyg2004 date: 2004-10-14 rating:
Probably the best album you can buy...Fantastic !
This first album by HTB is probably their best work.brCombining tremendous AOR blues rythmns, a huge amount of talent musicianship and demonstrating an obvious love of their work, this is an album of excellent quality. It's got love songs, songs about life in general and some more upbeat tracks as well.pDon't forget: This is one of the fastest-selling albums of all time, and for good reason...brThe out-and-out pure craftsmanship of highly-talented musicians doing what they obvously love shines throughout this whole album.brThis was the album that won the band the best new act at the MTV awards, in the year that all the British music press could talk about was the "Blur vs. Oasis" hype.pEven though this album was released a few years ago, it still stands the test of time as a classic:brEvery time you put the album on, it's like a breath of fresh air - each track sounds like it could have been produced yesterday.brIn a time of bands producing albums that are "all filler, no killer" and where you find yourself fast-forwarding to the best songs, the sound of this band comes out strongly as something different to what else is around, yet it also calls out to you like the music you've always heard (or that you've always wanted to hear).pA special mention must go to the lead singer, Darius Rucker, who has the most amazing, soulful voice:brThe power of his voice just touches your heart every time you hear it and -unlike many other singers with great voices- he has got a fabulous range and this album allows him to demonstrate his wealth of talents. Fast, slow, soulful, happy, loving - this album has it all. pI've been listening to music of -literally- all styles for the last 25+ years and nothing comes close to this HTB album....brIt's the only album I've every found where you can repeat it all day and each and every time you put it on it's like hearing the music for the first time...For me, no other artists' album has had this quality.br"Fantastic" and "5 stars" doesn't even come close to describing this music: I urge you to buy it...you won't regret it.

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review by: darkgenius date: 2004-07-06 rating:
One of the best-selling albums of all time - deservedly so
Unless I'm mistaken, Cracked Rear View still has to be one of the most successful debut albums ever released. This album was huge, boasting several hit singles and getting more airplay than just about anything else out there for months on end. Strangely enough, the group only managed one small blip on the radar in the years following this release, but that doesn't take anything away from the success of this, their first and most successful commercial release. Being from North Carolina, I felt a special affinity for these South Carolina brethren of mine, and indeed at one point I actually acquired the moniker of Hootie myself (for reasons I could probably not explain even if I could remember them). I also loved the obvious influence of Bob Dylan in their music; heck, these guys actually incorporated some of the lyrics from Dylan's classic Tangled Up in Blue in their hit single Only Wanna Be With You.pSpeaking of hit singles, Hold My Hand and Let Her Cry (along with Only Wanna Be With You) dominated the airwaves for a few weeks short of forever, and I do believe Time also registered on the charts. I seem to remember Hannah Jane also coming out as a single - if it didn't, it certainly should have as this, the album's leadoff track, in many ways typifies the type of music Hootie and the guys perfected. Running From an Angel also stands head and shoulders above most of the songs recorded during the somewhat dead years of the mid-90s. Darius Rucker's voice just has a special quality impossible to describe - soothing in a sandpapery sort of way. He could be the king of the party, and he could also touch something in your soul when his musical mood turned melancholy. If you secretly search the CD collection of anyone between 30 and 50, you will most likely find this little gem there somewhere, as it sold upteen millions of copies. You don't have that kind of success without something extraordinarily unique that appeals to a wide cross-section of music fans. Cracked Rear View was a great album in 1994, it's a great album now, and it will be a great album for all the years to come.


review by: wazz2k1 date: 2003-01-19 rating:
not THAT good
i listen to a lot of music, and most of it is the american rock scene....Matchbox Twenty, Lifehouse, Live, Matthew Good Band (ok, so they aint american but it still counts)and others, and all reviews seemed to recommend Hootie and the Blowfish. After countless ALMOST purchases, i finally bought this Cd, and i have to say i wasn't impressed. br Don't get me wrong, it's not horrendous by any stretch of the imagination, or even bad, it's just nothing special, nothing new. it's VERY formulaic. Every song sounds the same, and his voice, sure it's quite strong in sound, but it doesn't go anywhere. Never lets himself go or shows anything special. Artists like ROb Thomas, Jason Wade, Matt Good, even Adam Band, DRIVE the music along and have something special. Sadly, Darius Rucker doesn't and seems to plod alog at the same happy easy speed. br If you want a nice, happy, middle of the road happy go lucky kind of sing along Cd, then this is for you. Think of them as a less powerful, less clever and and not as vocaly strong as Sister Hazel. br If u looking for a genre defining solid album that leads you into the music and is inteligent, then maybe this isn't for you. Fans of mathbox twenty, lifehouse, train, sister hazel, should give it a listen just to see, but it isn't close. br Infact, if you looking for another Matchbox Twnety or Lifehouse then you aren't going to get it. what you'll get is a very likable if nothing special album. enjoy...or just listen and put Sister Hazel on...

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