Greatest Hits, Vol. 2: The South Has Risen Again

Personnel: Phil McCormack (vocals); Bobby Ingram, Dave Hlubek (guitar); John Galvin (keyboards); Shawn Beamer (drums).
Liner Note Author: Bobby Ingram.
Photographers: Doug McGuire; Steve "Flash" Nourie; Lori McGuire.
Some longtime fans of Molly Hatchet would argue that because guitarist Dave Hlubek is the only original member heard on Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, this isn't really a Molly Hatchet album, that it is really the work of a Molly Hatchet tribute band or cover band. But say what you will, the sparks fly on this two-CD set. Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 is both a best of and a live album; Disc One provides 75 minutes worth of Molly Hatchet's studio recordings of the late 1990s and 2000s, while Disc Two contains mostly live performances from 2003's Locked and Loaded and 2006's Live in Hamburg. And in both the studio and live settings, this Phil McCormack-era version of Molly Hatchet is quite faithful to the band's late-'70s and early-'80s sound. That is true on Disc One (which includes previously released material from 1996's Devil's Canyon, 1998's Silent Reign of Heroes, 2005's Warriors of the Rainbow Bridge, and 2010's Justice) as well as Disc Two, which offers live performances of early Hatchet favorites such as "Whiskey Man," "Flirtin' with Disaster," "Bounty Hunter," "Gator County," "The Creeper," and "Beatin' the Odds." McCormack, who became Molly Hatchet's lead singer in 1996, never fails to sound focused and inspired on either the older or more recent songs; he was clearly a welcome addition to the band. That said, Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 isn't a release that should be recommended to someone who is checking out the band for the first time. Someone who is new to Southern rock and new to Molly Hatchet would be better off starting out with 1978's Molly Hatchet, 1979's Flirtin' with Disaster, or a best of that contains actual recordings from their late-'70s and early-'80s heyday. But for someone who has already experienced the rowdy, bluesy, whiskey-soaked pleasures of the band's early recordings, Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 wouldn't be a bad introduction to their McCormack-era output. It's a good thing that Molly Hatchet have been active in the 21st century; even if some longtime followers consider Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 to be the work of a tribute band or cover band. ~ Alex Henderson