He'll Always Be Hootie to Me

I was on my way back to Wilmington, NC from Topsail Beach when I bought Cracked Rear View, on tape! The day was warm, my windows were down, and the trip was one of the greatest I ever had. On that day, as I blasted this relatively unknown bands music from my radio, I became a Hootie fan. And although I don't listen to their albums - now all converted to CD, haven't gotten as far as getting them on the iPod yet - as often as I once did, I still love those songs.

Looking back, no doubt what drew me to their music was the voice of Darius Rucker. Never in a million years could I have guessed that there would come a drought in his musical career. But it did. I hated to see him disappear from the music scene, and can't say I didn't fall over and mourn his musical death shortly after he filmed that Burger King commercial. The Blowfish's last album was far from stellar as well. Luckily, that wasn't his last stand.

Darius Rucker has gone country. His voice is all over country radio with his new album released in September of 2008, Learn to Live. And you know what, people are eating it up. I am sold too. His voice just lends to that style of storytelling. He could even throw some of the classic Hootie tunes like 'Let Her Cry' and 'Tucker's Town' onto a country album, with a few tweaks, and reintroduce them to a whole new audience.

On the song 'Don't Think I Don't Think About It' he sings:

Between the work and the hurt and the whiskey
Don't think I don't wonder 'bout
Could've been, should'a been all worked out
I know what I felt and I know what I said but
Don't Think I Don't Think About It

His voice filled with raw emotion. The same voice that won over the hearts of millions of fans in the first place. Darius Rucker gives 100% to every word he utters and his voice carries with it the innermost cries of the human heart. I think that is why Nashville has welcomed him with such loving arms. They know he has what it takes to sing the songs they have built an industry upon.

For me, Darius Rucker has found where he belongs. The band he fronted who made their living off college kids looking for a good time is gone. Their fans have grown into adults with hurts and joys that surpass the carefree days of campus life. But, so has Darius. With a daughter of his own and ghosts in his past, "Hootie" as I have been known to affectionately call him, has new ground to cover. He is just as relevant now as he was back then.

So, I will eagerly follow him wherever his music takes him. Hopefully soon I can hit some long open highway and once again roll down my windows and crank up a whole album full of his new songs. I will never forget that summer day on the road to Wilmington, and he'll always be "Hootie" to me, but I think from now I will keep my eyes looking forward and just call him Darius.