When I did a quick Hootie & the Blowfish Deep Dive in 2019, I didn’t expect I’d ever have to revisit it. After all, it had been 14 years since the band’s last album. I guess they never officially broke up, but they were on an indefinite hiatus that made way for lead singer Darius Rucker’s successful solo career.

Maybe they read my posts and were inspired to give it another shot. In November of that year, they dropped Imperfect Circle, their seventh studio album. And I’m here seven years later to complete the deep dive. Let’s see if this leads to another release.

Hootie is nothing if not consistent, and musically Imperfect Circle fits right in with the rest of their discography. It’s a collection of earnest rock songs with a country flavor — one that is even more pronounced on this release, presumably because Rucker has done well as a country artist.

The band chose to work with outside songwriters for the first time on this release, co-writing all but three of the album’s 13 tracks. Most of the collaborators are country writers, including Chris Stapleton, but Ed Sheeran helped pen one song.

That decision led to mixed results. Lyrically, a few too many of these songs overload on the corn factor. The band’s previous work lacks edge but was delivered with something between a wink and a smirk. Most of these tunes are straight down the middle, like a PG version of a band that’s usually PG-13.

Rucker’s vocals are typically excellent. His rich baritone makes anything sound good. I can’t detect a difference between his singing here and his hit performances from 25 years earlier.

Ultimately, if I want to hear Hootie & the Blowfish I’m going to fire up Cracked Rear View, which remains a defining touchstone of the 90s alternative era. But if stumbled upon a track from Imperfect Circle, or any of their other five post-Cracked albums, I’d happily listen.

Like all of their work, this one won’t challenge you, but it won’t disappoint you either.

🎵 Part of the Hootie & the Blowfish Deep Dive 🎵
This post is part of my exploration of Hootie & the Blowfish’s studio catalog.
→ Return to the Hootie & the Blowfish Deep Dive