Album review: Darius Rucker – Southern Style

Southern Style provides plenty of reasons why the unlikely Grand Ole Opry star Darius Rucker's carer is still on the rise.

Darius Rucker's Southern Style. Courtesy Capitol Records Nashville
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Darius Rucker Southern Style (Capitol Nashville) Three stars

Darius Rucker's second career as a country singer shows no signs of slowing down, if his new album, Southern Style, is anything to go by. The lead singer of rock band Hootie & the Blowfish has scored three chart-topping solo country albums, spawning six No 1 hits, including the Grammy-winning Wagon Wheel, one of the most popular country hits of recent years. Southern Style continues to emphasise upbeat, pop-influenced country, heavy on catchy choruses. The mandolin-driven High on Life and the slide guitar-fuelled Low Country are more relaxed than anything by Jason Aldean or Eric Church. Alan Jackson's producer, Keith Stegall, collaborates on five songs, bringing out Rucker's personable Southern drawl on Baby I'm Right, a striking duet with the under-appreciated Mallary Hope. Southern Style provides plenty of reasons why this unlikely Grand Ole Opry star's career is still on the rise.