CD REVIEW: "CHARLESTON, SC 1966" - DARIUS RUCKER

CD: "Charleston SC 1966"
Artist: Darius Rucker

Release: 2010

If Capitol Records recording artist, Darius Rucker, has proven one thing over the past year, it's his credibility as a country artist. In the current world of "pop goes the country", Darius is one of the few crossover artists that have shown they deserve the kudos they've received and have been embraced with open arms by both fans and the country music community. With a consistent delivery of 2 back to back chart topping cd's, there's nowhere left for Darius to go but on his current path of "up" and his latest release, "Charleston SC 1966" is doing just that. Hootie who?

In this latest project, Darius Rucker has collaborated with some of Nashville's finest storytellers including Brad Paisley, Kara DioGuardi, Frank Rogers and Ashley Gorley among other great songwriters. The cd's lead in single, "Come Back Song", is a humble and unassuming song that describes a situation we've all been in, being that person who's done something stupid, lost at love and is determined to win that love back. I gotta say, I am absolutely loving any song where the subject refers to themselves as the "back side of a mule". That's a line that you would only find in a country song. Another song on the cd, "Might Get Lucky", is definitely a song that any married couple with young kids can identify with - getting some "alone time" in between diapers, carpools, and other everyday distractions that cause you to have "lost that lovin' feeling". There are also some deep, soulful songs thrown in the mix such as "She's Beautiful" and "We All Fall Down". It's the thoughtful, sincere tunes such as these that, in my opinion, show Darius at his best.

At the end of the day, the cd is definitely a must have for those who like well written, well crafted and well sung music. Darius Rucker , I declare this cd a keeper!