AMG Review of In Blue Cave [Bonus Tracks]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

By the time the Hoodoo Gurus released their seventh album, In Blue Cave, in 1996, the band had settled into a fairly predictable pattern for their records -- namely, they hadn't changed their psychedelic, jangly guitar pop much at all. Occasionally, they add louder guitars to the mix, but they are essentially the same band they were in 1986. That's not necessarily a bad thing -- the Hoodoo Gurus have a way with crafting a solid hook. The problem with In Blue Cave is that they just didn't come up with enough of them. A few songs stand out, but by and large the album is just a standard Hoodoo Gurus album, albeit an enjoyable one. [This version of the album includes bonus material.]