The British group Chumbawamba has been around since the early '80s, and its political- and musical-aesthetic can only be described as downright anarchistic, switching wildly between styles and genres while putting out albums titled "Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records." The band's albums vary wildly in quality and tone, but on the commercial breakthrough, "Tubthumper," everything fell into place. (But give some credit to Rucker for going solo, going country, and still finding success on his own.) Every subsequent album was a case of diminishing returns, showing that for all its bluster, Hootie was only a one-album wonder. The only problem with this winning formula? Finding a follow-up. The leader of this movement, however, was a little-known South Carolina band named Hootie & the Blowfish, who exploded onto the scene with "Cracked Rear View." With old-school organs, acoustic guitars, and slick production, Darius Rucker's sturdy-voiced ballads and pop numbers connected California kids to Midwest families, creating a kind of universal midrange sound that ended up making songs like "Hold My Hand," "Only Wanna Be with You" and "Let Her Cry" omnipresent radio staples.
Following the grunge explosion of the early '90s, it was inevitable that there would be some type of counter-programming, and with the likes of Sheryl Crow and Matchbox Twenty leading the charge, radio soon acquiesced to a pleasant, MOR pop-rock sound.
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