CD of the Day: ‘Fairweather Johnson,’ Hootie & the Blowfish (1996)

For a while there, I wondered why I hadn’t listened to this album in probably 13 years. The first handful of songs are good pop/country rockers a la the band’s debut album, including excellent cuts like “Sad Caper,” “Old Man & Me,” and “Tucker’s Town.”

But man, oh man, the second half … ugh. To quote Jack Black from “High Fidelity,” it’s mostly impenetrable “sad bastard music,” the kicker being a double shot of "Fool" and "Tootie." Darius Rucker never had much range in the first place, but his melodies make a 49-minute disc feel twice as long by the end. Good for him on the recent reinvention, though.

An uneven effort that leaves me feeling like the Blowfish ran out of ideas pretty quick. Why they included 14 tracks on this album is beyond me.

Grade: C+

Favorite Track: “Sad Caper”

Least Favorite Track: “Tootie”