Artist: Sister Hazel
Album: Live LIVE
Label: Sixthman Records
Rating:
Reviewer: Kim Worpek

Sister Hazel, a Gainesville Florida quintet whose first single on a major label release - "All For You" plummeted them into stardom (with the help of an exhausting 300 shows a year), has now released their fifth major record label album, Live LIVE.

When I first decided to review this album, I knew little about Sister Hazel, I couldn't even remember what songs they had done, but the name was familiar and for some unknown reason. I just felt interested in learning more about this artist and their music. So, it's pretty fair to say that when I first dove into this thing, I didn't know what I was dealing with.

Upon first listening to disc one of this double-cd set, with its energetic opening track "Life Got in the Way," I was reminded of the band, the Blues Traveler. Sister Hazel has that similar feel good, energetic, romantic, blues/rock sound that is evident in their music. Ironically enough, I discovered later that the song "All For You" - a song which I had only heard the Blues Traveler version of, was on the disc because it was actually by Sister Hazel. Disc one continues on through beautiful vocals and awesome guitar jams on songs like "Just Remember," with its fun and upbeat sound fronted by harmonious vocals by Ken Block (acoustic guitar, lead vocals) and Andrew Copeland (lead guitar). The disc finishes off with the long time fan favorite, "Happy."

One thing that I was really impressed with on this disc is the band's connection with the audience. On many of the tracks you can hear the fans singing along, and lead vocalist Ken Block even says, "I'm a writer and I have absolute immense difficulty putting into words what it feels like to be up here and to have you guys singin' all these words back to us," so it's evident that the connection with the audience is strong from both perspectives, which makes for a very interesting and fun experience, even if you're not there to see it live. Disc two features some quieter and more introspective songs such as "Killing Me Too" and "Your Winter," in which Block's seemingly romantic insecurities come through, yet the songs are no less uplifting and energetic than their counterparts. "Your Winter" was also featured on the popular movie soundtrack "10 Things I Hate About You."

One of my favorite songs on this disc is "Sword And Shield," with its beautiful, poetic lyrics and haunting harmonics by Copeland, backed by a more insistent beat. The disc finishes off with "Out There," a song that vocalist explains he wrote with his 'hero' - his father. This album as a whole is compelling, fun, and very entertaining; the music is beautiful, and I'm glad I picked this disc as my first real Sister Hazel experience. It gave me a chance to see some of their newer material, as well as some of their older stuff....and also to get a good look at who Sister Hazel is, and what they’re all about - love, life, and music.