You know, I own every single Sister Hazel CD, and my favorites are still the first couple. I like the newer CDs, and I like many of the newer songs, but as a whole, I think the first couple of albums were stronger. I also love acoustic treatments of rock songs. I've heard many of these songs in what you would call "acoustic" formats before at live shows, but usually it was limited to Ken Block and a guitar...more of a solo breakout song while the band regroups backstage before the encore than an actual "acoustic" band set.This CD takes songs that I've become extremely familiar with and changed them in subtle ways that show a maturity in the playing and singing of the band members that's never really existed before. Ken often throws his voice all over the place and turns a single syllable into 4 or 5 by changing notes a lot at the end of a phrase. On this set, he's singing it more "straight" than I've ever heard.On this version of their stage staple "Happy," for example, the chorus that usually goes "Happy, I'm happy, but that ain't good enough for you" turns into "happyyyyyyy, that ain't good enough for you." OK, so when you type it, it doesn't look like a big change, but after hearing it the same way hundreds of times at shows and on CD, to have it suddenly change to something that I honestly feel is much, much better is a revelation. That little part of the song had always annoyed me just a bit, but I overlooked it because it's such a great song in general. To hear it simplified and "fixed" all of the sudden after all this time is great.There are many such moments on this disc. It is worth 9 dollars. Actually, i'd say it is worth 50 dollars. So buy the CD and buy a couple tickets to a show. Hopefully some of the changes they made for this set have been carried over into the live performance. It will be worth it to find out.Enjoy!
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