Like most B-Sides albums, Hokus Pick's The B-Sides is only for enthusiasts of the band in question. This offering includes leftovers and odds and ends from their start up to around the time of the album Bookaboom. And while not as polished or as consistent as their albums like Pick It Up or Bookaboom, it's not a bad disc to have in your collection.

The better cuts are the opener "There I Go Again" (recorded around Bookaboom, and probably on par with that material), "Learn to Laugh" (the Bob Dylan joke really suckered me in) and "Adonai," a Petra cover intended for the tribute album Never Say Dinosaur, but wasn't used. It's hard to imagine it on that album as it feels a little like the U2 track "Daddy's Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car," but is still a very enjoyable listen. The cabin fever rendition of "Feliz Navidad" is also a treat.

"Nine Worlds Away" and "Train in Vain" appeared previously on Bookaboom, but are here with an alternate mix. There are a few acoustic tracks here that sound a little like rough demos, including the only Pick It Up leftover, "Sadness of These Times." If you love that album like I do, don't expect this song to be on the same playing field as those gems. Again, they're not songs that are bad or unlistenable, but they didn't make those albums for a reason.

The B-Sides features some good tracks and some average ones. Overall, it may be better than Brothers From Different Mothers, but it's not on par with their better albums Pick it Up and Bookaboom. The B-Sides is an insight into the process of what it was like being Hokus Pick for those fans who are interested.

Review date: 8/15/11, written by Steven Benbow for Jesusfreakhideout.com