With very, very few exceptions, I can confidently say that I don’t like Country music. I recently came across some mention of Darius Rucker having the number one album on the Billboard Country charts. I was intrigued. I’m a huge fan of the first Hootie & the Blowfish album; Cracked Rear View. In fact, I would say it’s one of my favorite albums, and features what might actually be my favorite song in the whole world, “Not Even The Trees“. Anyway, despite it being called a Country Album, I decided to give it a chance.
As I started the album I heard… well, that thing that makes Country what it is. That twang. That guitar sound, you know the one. I was scared. But I closed my eyes and let the song move forward. And you know what, it wasn’t so bad. The second song had a similar twang, but again, it was a good song. After that, the twang didn’t seem as prominent. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of finger pickin’ to satisfy your average shit-kickin’ good ol’ boy, but just like that awesome Hootie record, this album is about the songs. And these are all great songs. Darius sings stories from a more direct first person perspective than usual, but that’s all part of this genre.
There’s a solid balance of uplifting songs, heartbreaking sad songs, and just enough humor thrown in. Like I said, there are a scarce few exceptions for me in the Country genre, but thanks to this record I can never again say “I don’t like Country music”. Because I do. I love at least one Country album. Thanks Darius!
