DARIUS RUCKER

                                                                "Have A Good Time"

                                                                 Capitol Records Nashville

Darius Rucker certainly doesn’t need any introduction at this point in his career. His incredible resume speaks boldly for itself with success stories that have equaled a mile long list of accolades that any artist is envious of. However, despite all his previous success, the Diamond Certified superstar continues to not only strive to discover who he is as an artist today, but to navigate his place in the ever-evolving country music scene. 

With “Fires Don’t Start Themselves” still climbing with a bullet up the country airplay chart, Rucker now shares another glimpse of Carolyn’s Boy, his forthcoming, first solo album in six years. 

The album is already set to include previously released, feel-good tunes, “Beers And Sunshine” and “Same Beer Different Problem,” and it can now add another track to that growing stack with “Have A Good Time.”

The song, written by Rucker with Monty Criswell, Derek George, and Bobby Hamrick, gives us a sway along bop within its down-home tempo to perfectly hold tightly to the chilled out, laid back feel that’s embedded into the familiarity of his smooth vocal as he uses each of the verses for self-evaluation while pinpointing how he ought to start living from here on out:

“Instead of worrying about things I can’t change, gonna lay in the sun and dance in the rain”

“Gonna call up a couple of good old friends and along the way maybe make a few more”

“Take a second on the chances I missed, put a few new checks on the bucket list”

While the chorus certainly moves into a sing along anthem style as he continues to lay out what he’s going to start doing more of in his life, he also uses it to add tremendous depth when he properly places focus on the true center of it all, singing lines such as “have a some back porch hallelujah’s” and “sipping on a sunset where the good Lord’s talking to you.”

Self-evaluating doesn’t come without its learning curves, though. But it’s in our ability to take what we’ve learned and then pass that newfound wisdom down to generation next that elevates decades of qualities of life; that’s skillfully how Rucker utilizes the bridge to tie this all together:

“Don’t forget to make it count

Don’t forget to sing out loud

Don’t forget the salt and lime

Don’t forget to have a damn good time”

As he continues to firmly find his place in today’s country music scene, we’re seeing Darius Rucker deliver much-needed positivity through his song output as he’s done again with “Have A Good Time,” aptly keeping us smiling as we re-evaluate what’s most important to our own lives and make the necessary adjustments to find our pure bliss.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

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