Ninety Minutes of Darius Rucker
It's one thing to know how to open a show in a big way. But after selling out countless arenas in the ‘90s, Darius Rucker knows how to close one big, too. Like Thursday night (Sept. 24) at a bar in Chicago, after playing for about an hour and a half, Rucker's final encore was "Keep Your Hands to Yourself," the hit from the Georgia Satellites. And I couldn't find one person in the standing-room-only crowd who wasn't singing along. Not one. This guy just knows how to own a show.
Before he took the stage, he told me he loved playing in clubs (as opposed to the 20,000-plus venues he played when he was fronting Hootie & the Blowfish) because the crowd's right up on you. And they were, literally. The packed house leaned in close to hear a bunch of the songs off Rucker's debut country album and then moved even closer to hear how he sounded on old Hootie hits like "Hold My Hand," "Let Her Cry" and "Only Want to Be With You."
Even those, though, felt countrier. And he really let his country roots show with Hank Williams Jr. and David Allan Coe covers. My personal favorite, though, was this very cool a cappella thing he did on his "While I Still Got the Time." Rucker's at the top of his game, again, with this country thing. His single and album are both perched at No. 1. His voice is just as soulful as it ever was. Yet his love of these lyrics -- "I'm gonna work like I don't need the money/I'm gonna laugh like I'm not afraid to cry/I'm gonna dance like nobody's watchin'/I'm gonna love while I still got the time" -- came through loud and clear when his five-man band stayed quiet.
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Vicki says:
What a wonderful bright spot for country music!! Love ya Darius!
RedMaZ says:
While targeting the Pop country crowd, Rucker has an element of Roots to his music. I say more power to him.
Ms. Feathers says:
Of his country stuff, I’ve only heard the radio single, and darn if it doesn’t sound so much like his Hootie music. Are we SURE that Hootie and the Blowfish weren’t country back then???
I think I may have to add this CD to my collection. Always liked Hootie and Darius’ voice, and his electric/acoustic combo sound.
Trace Adkins Acknowledges Reality Show Appeal of Living With Six Women | The 9513 says:
[...] Bonaguro mentions that Darius Rucker threw in covers of Hank Williams Jr. and David Allan Coe alongside old Hootie hits and his newer country material at a bar in Chicago on Thursday [...]
J.R. Journey says:
Despite middling reviews across the board, I think this is one of the best releases of the year. A thoughtful and clearly country record. And I think it’s great that a black man is finally making some inroads in the genre some 20 years after Charley Pride has left the scene …
RedMaZ says:
Left the scene? What “scene” are you talking about? If you mean the Country Music scene, Charley Pride hasn’t left it. Pop country may have dumped him, but by definition, that’s what they do to legends and established artists.