Learn to Live

by Darius Rucker

Overview

Darius Rucker's leap into country music is not a move without precedent for the Hootie & the Blowfish lead singer, as his band was loosely rooted in country-ish roots rock. Nevertheless, a more important antecedent for Learn to Live is a 2005 Burger King commercial where Rucker was decked out in a Nudie suit while singing a spin on "Big Rock Candy Mountain." It was the unveiling of Rucker the country singer, and caused enough of a sensation to make a country album seem like a feasible move. As slight as the commercial was, it provided a stronger musical foundation than the urban R&B behind his 2002 solo debut Back to Then did, as Rucker showed no inclination toward modern soul in Hootie, whereas Learn to Live appeals directly to the frat boys and sports fanatics that made Cracked Rear View perhaps the most inexplicable multi-platinum hit of the '90s. Like those songs, the tunes on Learn to Live are big and simple, powered by obvious hooks delivered plainly -- and truth be told, apart from the 2-step shuffle of "All I Want," the loping modern country of "Alright," and the slow pace of the clever barroom crawl "Drinkin' and Dialin'," they don't feel especially country, either. They may not be made for honky tonks, but they do feel rootsy, much like Cracked Rear View did, and as they're written with Rucker in mind, not a jam band, they're more pop in form and feel than anything he's done since. Which, of course, also makes them ingratiating: these songs aren't knockouts, but they're friendly and comfortable, the kind of sturdy roots-pop that seems like it'd be easy to pull off but must not be, as this delicate balance of conversational melody and guy-next-door appeal has proven elusive to Rucker for over a decade now. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/16/2008
Label:	Capitol/Emi Records
UPC:	0094638550624

Tracks

1. Forever Road
2. All I Want
3. Don't Think I Don't Think About It
4. Learn to Live
5. If I Had Wings
6. History in the Making
7. Alright
8. It Won't Be Like This for Long
9. Drinkin' and Dialin'
10. I Hope They Get to Me in Time
11. While I Still Got the Time
12. Be Wary of a Woman

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Darius Rucker   Primary Artist
Aubrey Haynie   Fiddle,Mandolin
Kristin Wilkinson   Violin
Jim "Moose" Brown   Piano,Wurlitzer
Gordon Mote   Organ (Hammond),Piano
Eric Darken   Percussion
Michael Rhodes   Bass
Bryan Sutton   Banjo,Mandolin,Guitar (Acoustic)
Frank Randazzo   Vocals
Waylon Weatherholt   Vocals
Ann Inman   Vocals
Melissa Fuller   Vocals
Phillip Stein   Vocals
Pamela Sixfin   Strings
David Davidson   Strings
Pat Buchanan   Guitar,Mandolin,Guitar (Rhythm),Guitar (Baritone),Guitar (Electric)
Greg Morrow   Drums
John Hobbs   Conductor
J.T. Corenflos   Guitar (Electric)
Mary Kathryn Van Osdale   Strings
Wes Hightower   Vocals (Background)
Vince Gill   Vocals (Background)
Ron Block   Banjo
Shannon Forrest   Drums
Mike Brignardello   Bass
Brent Mason   Guitar (Baritone),Guitar (Electric)
David Angell   Strings
Brad Paisley   Guitar (Electric)
Brad Clark   Vocals
Monisa Angell   Violin
Dan Dugmore   Dobro,Guitar (Steel)
Anthony LaMarchina   Cello,Viola
Alison Krauss   Vocals (Background)
B. James Lowry   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Resonator)
Sarah Ross   Vocals
Bradley Clark   Vocals
Mike Johnson   Guitar (Steel)
Ilya Toshinskiy   Mandolin,Guitar (Acoustic)

Technical Credits

Patrick Davis   Composer
Steve Short   Overdub Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Kristin Wilkinson   Arranger,String Arrangements
Clay Mills   Composer
Richard Barrow   Engineer,Overdub Engineer
Neal Cappellino   Overdub Engineer
Darius Rucker   Composer
Clayton Mills   Composer
Frank Rogers   Composer,Producer,Audio Production
John Hobbs   Arranger,String Arrangements
Wade Kirby   Composer
Greg Lawrence   Mixing Assistant
Brady Barnett   Digital Editing
Jason Lehning   Overdub Engineer
Justin Niebank   Mixing
Rivers Rutherford   Composer
Ashley Gorley   Composer
Brian David Willis   Digital Editing
Lowell Reynolds   Assistant Engineer
Dave Berg   Composer
Drew Bollman   Mixing Assistant
Christophe Dubois   Composer
Phillip Stein   Production Assistant
John Netti   Assistant Engineer
Joanna Carter   Art Direction
Christiev Alphin   Wardrobe
Ron Roark   Design
Chris Stapleton   Composer
Russ Harrington   Photography
Monty Criswell   Composer
Tyler Moles   Digital Editing
Stephen Lamb   Music Preparation
Michelle Hall   Art Producer
Hank Williams   Mastering
Chris Dubois   Composer