CD Review

Artist: Darius Rucker

CD: Learn to Live

Release Date: September 16^th, 2008

Record Label: (EMI/Capitol Records Nashville)  

Reviewed by: Gabor Pertic (Toronto Correspondent – Canada)

One of Darius Rucker’s first attempts at tackling the country genre was in a bizarre, dream-like commercial for Burger King where he crooned about a fantasy ranch where “your wildest fantasies come true, Dallas cheerleaders give you shaves/Red onions make you laugh instead, and French Fries grow like weeds”. With Learn to Live, the former-Hootie & The Blowfish front man delves deep into the country genre. Thankfully, there’s no mention of the TenderCrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch.

With his second solo album, Rucker decides to play it safe and stick to the basic reference points of country music. His lyrics are fairly straight-forward, focusing on the good, simple life (“Alright”) and how we should make sure to enjoy it (“While I Still Got the Time”), all the while dropping moments of love lost, love found, and the occasional sip of whisky.

The lyrical content may not be overly challenging but that does not seem to be the intention. The music is just as breezy as words, and just as the lyrics are examples of Country 101, so are the instruments. Fiddles and banjos compliment the band as Rucker makes a head-on attempt to venture away from the Pop-Rock of his Hootie roots and the Contemporary R & B sound of his first solo album, Back to Then.

The single “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It” managed to be a success on the country charts, making Rucker the first African-American singer to top the country charts in over two decades. The song is a good example of the album as a whole, showcasing Rucker’s solid voice (now with a bit of a heightened twang) mixed with a sweeping, sing-along chorus. While the song definitely works as a single, the problem lies in the fact that, ultimately, the whole album sounds a lot like it. Rucker sets up a standard and does not stray too far from it. In moments where he attempts a somber deviation from the soft-country sound, the lyrical simplicity sticks out and can hardly be called innovative (in “If I Had Wings”, Rucker asks why do we hate/why do we suffer and why is there war/why is there killing all within the first minute).

On the back cover of the album, Rucker is pictured casually wandering through what appears to be a nice forest or park. This is precisely the kind of record Learn to Live is - casual, melodic, accessible, and with absolutely no Burger King sandwich endorsements.

Track Listing:

1) Forever Road – 4:01

2) All I Want – 3:49

3) Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It – 3:03

4) Learn To Live – 3:47

5) If I Had Wings – 4:02

6) History in The Making – 3:29

7) Alright – 3:50

8) It Won’t Be Like This for Long – 3:37

9) Drinkin’ and Dialin’ – 3:03

10) I Hope They Get To Me in Time – 3:25

11) While I Still Got Time – 3:49

12) Be Wary of a Woman – 3:24