Middle of Nowhere Acoustic - A Review

It was just over ten years ago when a small band of brothers emerged from relative obscurity and took the music industry by storm. Releasing the stranglehold that Alternative seemed to have on the market with the sugar sweet MMMBop, Hanson established themselves and ushered in a new era of bubblegum pop music.

That was a decade ago.

A lot has changed since then. They've married, had children, broke free of major labels and established their own indie label, 3CG Records.

Now they have released Middle of Nowhere Acoustic. A live DVD/CD recording of ten tracks from their debut multi million selling album.

The show was recorded in their home town of Tulsa, Oklahoma with an intimate group of fans.

Despite all that has changed in the ten years since the release of Middle of Nowhere, they play the songs with as much heart and enthusiasm as if they were written yesterday.

Recently, Alanis Morrisette gave her Jagged Little Pill album the acoustic treatment with less than stellar results. Don't get me wrong I am a major fan of hers and could not wait to hear the album, it just came across as kind of boring. A little lazy at times.

Not so with Middle of Nowhere Acoustic. The songs are treated with respect and performed with pitch perfect care. It was like listening to them all for the first time.

The songs hold up remarkably well and translate beautifully to the acoustic format. It was a treat to hear favorites Weird and Yearbook performed. The latter having never been performed live before, at least to my knowledge, which is a shock because it is a haunting and amazing song. Probably one of the best they've written and seeing it performed live finally just makes it that much better.

Essentially, Middle of Nowhere Acoustic is for the fans but it is easily accessible for someone new to get into Hanson. Even for a naysayer to open their mind and give a second chance to a band that so many people seem unwilling to check out.

Let's get to the details of the DVD/CD. The songs and audio for the band is top notch. They sound great from beginning to end. Sometimes the audience seems a little tinny. I'd guess they weren't mic'd.

The video quality was perfect. It was almost Hi-Def in the clarity. Great shots of the band and the crowd.

Overall, it's a great listen for fans and non fans alike.

The DVD/CD is available now. If you have any curiosity in the band pick it up and also grab The Walk their latest album which I dubbed the best of 2007.

Hanson
Middle of Nowhere Acoustic
1) MMMBop
2) Look At You
3) Weird
4) Yearbook
5) Madeline
6) Minute Without You
7) Lucy
8) Where's The Love
9) I Will Come To You
10) Man From Milwaukee

For more information on Middle of Nowhere or Hanson visit:

Hanson.net
Myspace