Darius Rucker Albums (2)
What The Critics Say
Darius Rucker's leap into country music is not a move without precedent for the Hootie & the Blowfish lead singer, as his band was loosely rooted in country-ish roots rock. Nevertheless, a more important antecedent for Learn to Live is a 2005 Burger King commercial where Rucker was decked out in a Nudie suit while singing a spin on "Big Rock Candy Mountain." It was the unveiling of Rucker the country singer, and caused enough of a sensation to make a country album seem like a feasible move. As slight as the commercial was, it provided a stronger musical foundation than the urban R&B behind his 2002 solo debut Back to Then did, as Rucker showed no inclination toward modern soul in Hootie, whereas Learn to Live appeals directly to the frat boys and sports fanatics that made Cracked Rear View perhaps the most inexplicable multi-platinum hit of the '90s. Like those songs, the tunes on Learn to Live are big and simple, powered by obvious hooks delivered plainly -- and truth be told, apart from the 2-step shuffle of "All I Want," the loping modern country of "Alright," and the slow pace of the clever barroom crawl "Drinkin' and Dialin'," they don't feel especially country, either. They may not be made for honky tonks, but they do feel rootsy, much like Cracked Rear View did, and as they're written with Rucker in mind, not a jam band, they're more pop in form and feel than anything he's done since. Which, of course, also makes them ingratiating: these songs aren't knockouts, but they're friendly and comfortable, the kind of sturdy roots-pop that seems like it'd be easy to pull off but must not be, as this delicate balance of conversational melody and guy-next-door appeal has proven elusive to Rucker for over a decade now. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The rocky road Hootie & the Blowfish lead singer Darius Rucker took to the release of his first solo album, Back to Then, may have its origin in his band's declining fortunes after the spectacular success of its major-label debut, Cracked Rear View, in the mid-'90s. Follow-ups Fairweather Johnson and Musical Chairs traced a downward sales pattern, and by 2001 Atlantic Records may have been looking to Rucker to reignite his career as a pop/rock singer with his solo debut. But when executives heard an early version of it, they reacted by handing it back to him and letting him negotiate with other labels. Neo-soul boutique label Hidden Beach, whose signee Jill Scott has a duet with Rucker on the record, was a logical home instead, and, slightly retooled, Back to Then comes across as an appropriate addition to the company's pop-soul catalog. Working with various urban musician/producers, Rucker has constructed his own version of a neo-soul album, touching upon elements of gritty soul and gospel but filtering them through his pop/rock sensibility. The result may be as commercially dicey as Atlantic feared: The album may be rejected by both the urban audience at whom it is aimed and by the pop/rock fans Rucker found with Hootie. As urban goes, it may be considered too clean and well-articulated, while its light funk and programming do not provide the surface pleasures of rock. But Rucker remains an expressive singer, and that is the key to the disc's appeal. Whether he is proclaiming his faith in God ("Somewhere") or pleading for romantic fulfillment ("One More Night"), he displays a contemporary soulfulness that compels the listener. Back to Then is not an ideal showcase for that voice, but it is a good one, and it may earn the singer a whole new audience. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
