On Release, Sister Hazel’s ninth CD this decade, the Florida-based
jangle rockers decided to make the songwriting process more democratic. Rather
than have lead vocalist/acoustic guitarist Ken Block do most of the heavy
lifting, each of the five members penned at least two tunes. The result is an
album with broad appeal, loaded with assorted Indian-summer anthems and
lost-love laments.
Songs such as drummer Mark Trojanowski’s orchestral-leaning “Better Way,” bassist Jett Beres’ prime-time rocker “Ghost in the Crowd,” electric guitarist Drew Copeland’s country ballad “One Life” and guitarist Ryan Newell’s snappy single “Take a Bow” prove that Sister Hazel’s shared approach works without sacrificing the sound that ardent Hazelnuts have come to love over the past 16 years. As a matter of fact, Block’s two songs (“Walls and Cannonballs” and “See Me Beautiful”) are the weakest ones here.
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