Fortress

You probably don’t remember Sister Hazel, but their last album, the aptly-titled …Somewhere More Familiar, went platinum. It even had a No. 1 single on it, the Blues Traveler sound-alike “All For You.” This follow-up may do even better, but we bet you still won’t be able to pick any of these five Floridians out of a police lineup. It’s not just that they’re a faceless bunch, lacking in star power—after all, there’s nothing wrong with letting the music do the talking—but in Sister Hazel’s case it’s the music that’s faceless. A sort of nondescript, vaguely Southern-leaning, modern-rock, this effort suggests competence without respiration. It could just as easily be the soundtrack to a car commercial. Fact is, there are hundreds of bands just like Sister Hazel, plying their tuneful pop-rock to Budweiser-swilling yahoos in bars all over America. Here’s hoping they stay there.