It’s the sort of performance that puts a smile on your face for a few seconds, but then gets washed away like an ocean sandcastle by the next song. What’s missing, however, is that extra something to make the song memorable: Rucker channels the relaxed feel of the song so well that is encourages the listener to pay less attention to the song rather than more, and keeps the track from really sticking in their mind.
For all its limitations, “Beers And Sunshine” at least avoids putting him in any awkward positions (he covers the limited range and flow demands without breaking a sweat), and while the narrator here is as flat as Paper Mario (and nearly as predictable), Rucker infuses them with enough personality through his delivery to at least make them likeable, albeit not terribly interesting. There’s a reason Rucker has been able to successfully navigate multiple genres: He’s a darn good vocalist with disarming charisma and distinct tone. I wouldn’t call it a terribly memorable mix, but it won’t offend your sensibilities like other Cobronavirus arrangements. (Brad Paisley isn’t credited anywhere on this track, but the tone and riffs of the electric guitar solo are heavily reminiscent of his work.) The result is a relaxing, slightly-tropical vibe that feels springier than its slow tempo would lead you to believe, although its signal strength falls short of Bryan’s track. The choruses sound a bit more conventional/generic with the addition of a prominent drum set, but rather than cranking up the volume with heavier guitars, the mix opts for some lighter tones with more texture, featuring ukelele chords and steel guitar stabs…and yes, a token slow-rolling banjo too. The song opens with a choppy acoustic guitar, a simple clap track, and some oddly-bent tones (maybe from a synthesizer? It’s hard to tell),creating an arrangement so sparse that you could argue that Rucker himself is carrying the melody with his vocals. Rather than puling directly from the loud, electronic Bro Country playbook, the production here takes a cue from Luke Bryan’s “One Margarita” and aims for something more acoustic and atmospheric. It’s a paint-by-numbers Cobronavirus track with the same old denial of reality that everyone else it pitching, and offers nothing but Rucker’s own personality as a reason to tune in. However, Rucker is 54 now, and his chart numbers have become less consistent over the last few years (after “If I Told You” and “For The First Time” reached #1 on Billboard’s airplay chart, “Straight To Hell” only made it to #40, and the Blowfish’s reunion single “Hold On” only rebounded to #30.) An aging artist starting to see their relevancy slip is a prime candidate for trend-hopping, and that’s what we get from “Beers And Sunshine,” the presumed leadoff single for Rucker’s next solo project. 1 by nearly every metric, but Ray Charles was mostly excluded from the country charts despite his acclaimed Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music albums, and there are many influential Black performers from the early days of the genre who’ve never gotten the credit they deserve).
#Beers and sunshine darius cracked#
Rucker may have begun his musical journey at the frontman for Hootie and the Blowfish, but one could argue that he’s actually had more success as a solo country artist: The Blowfish’s peak only lasted for three years in the mid-90s and is mostly based on the strength of Cracked Rear View, whereas Rucker has scored eight No.1 hits across a decade in country music and has become the second-most-successful Black artist in the genre’s history (…well, in terms of official chart success -Charley Pride is the clear No.
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