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On Release, Sister Hazel’s ninth CD this decade, the Florida-basedjangle rockers decided to make the songwriting process more democratic. Ratherthan have lead vocalist/acoustic guitarist Ken Block do most of the heavylifting, each of the five members penned at least two tunes. The result is analbum with broad appeal, loaded with assorted Indian-summer anthems andlost-love laments.
Songs such as drummer MarkTrojanowski’s orchestral-leaning “Better Way,” bassist Jett Beres’ prime-timerocker “Ghost in the Crowd,” electric guitarist Drew Copeland’s country ballad“One Life” and guitarist Ryan Newell’s snappy single “Take a Bow” prove thatSister Hazel’s shared approach works without sacrificing the sound that ardentHazelnuts 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 theweakest ones here.
