Hootie & The Blowfish

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY

Hootie & the Blowfish may have been out of the public eye for a while, but the band never really went out of style. Hootie brought back unabashed pop-rock, and a gaggle of other bands, including Matchbox 20, Third Eye Blind and even Hanson, have followed in its footsteps. Hootie's new album isn't a breakthrough or a breakdown: it's just a healthy helping of well-crafted rock. Ballads like Only Lonely are instantly affable; other numbers, like the jazzy What's Going On Here, have the depth to earn repeated spins in your CD player. Hootie will be around for a spell.

--By Christopher John Farley