Darius Rucker – Learn to Live Review

You may remember Darius Rucker as the croony lead singer from one of the more lasting bands form the 90’s Hootie and The Blowfish. During that time, I was listening to the likes of “‘Hold My Hand,” “Let Her Cry,” and “I Only Wanna Be With You.” It’s not often that a band could come across and tug on the strings of random memories from my childhood, but Hootie certainly takes me back to a time when things were changing in my life at a fast pace, and I was learning about new music and stations aside from B94(If you haven’t heard of it, it’s on old Pittsburgh station, its back again, but certainly not the original).

Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, and the likes of Tool, were winning my heart over as I was becoming a teenager and falling into the traps of teenage aggression. However, I always had a place in my heart for Hootie, because for some reason, Darius’s voice was just so damn awesome. He hit every note with what seemed like perfection, and never had to strain himself to reach an emotional level to grab the user and bring them to a whole new level.

Now after his first country album release “Back to Them,” which received very sub-par reviews. He comes back with a highly touted monster of a country album, “Learn to Live.” This album is full of emotional tracks, that seems to be written for anyone who has had a hard time in their life, whether it be a traumatic experience like in the song “I Hope They Get To Me in Time.” Or when a father looks ahead to the future or back in time depending on how you look at it in the song of “It Won’t Be Like This For Long.” There is at least one track for everyone on the entire cd, that is made for someone, if your in love with the current country situation that is played on the radio.

My only real gripe with this cd is that its mostly, written in a stereotypical format, as far as the typical country music banter goes, spirituality, life, death, love, and drinkin’. I do however, feel that Darius Rucker’s voice is not given enough justice. While most of the songs are typical with a country album, he has the voice to knock most of the songs out of the park even while singing about something that has been done a bajillion times.

So my final comments come down to this. If you loved Hootie and the Blowfish, and enjoy the music they wrote about. This album will never be that good. However, I urge you to give it a try if you are a country fan as it has many country music stars, making musical cameos, well produced songs, and a voice that just doesn’t give up. For the next review, be prepared. It’s going to be heavy.

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You’ll Shoot Your Thigh Out!!!!!

hahah this is hilarious, this image was forwarded to me via e-mail. Enjoy! Click to enlarge image!

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New GnR Album!

Guns and Roses has finally come out with a new album! Although, Slash isn’t in the band anymore, so can it really be called Guns and Roses? However the great news about the release of this album is the fact that Dr. Pepper is giving away a free can of Dr. Pepper from a promise it made a long while ago regarding this much fought over album.

“The soft-drink maker said in March that it would give a free soda to everyone in America if the album dropped in 2008. “Chinese Democracy,” infamously delayed since recording began in 1994, goes on sale Sunday.

“We never thought this day would come,” Tony Jacobs, Dr Pepper’s vice president of marketing, said in a statement. “But now that it’s here, all we can say is: The Dr Pepper’s on us.”

So finally with the release of this album, a major corporation has stuck behind its thoughts on a band that hated each other throughout its entire life span, and will be rewarding everyone with a free can of Dr. Pepper! However there is a catch, you must get the coupon located on Dr. Pepper’s website, and is only available for 48 hours on Sunday.

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Indulging in my Inner Geek.

So this weekend was filled by me playing mostly Wrath of the Lich King. I know I know, laugh at me, oh well, if 11 million players play it, I must not be the only closet dork. However, being a web manager, I’m pretty high on the closet dorkness.

I put off everything this weekend, I didn’t shower for two days, I didn’t shave, and I told the girlfriend that I wouldn’t be seeing her this weekend(she was shocked but she managed). I haven’t been able to really get to do anything I wanted in a long time due to real life obligations, friends, family functions, and other time consuming projects. But, this weekend I put my foot down and had a blast being with others online sharing the experience of new World of Warcraft content.

I’ve decided to level my Paladin first to 80 as that will no doubt take the longest to level, but in 2 days, Friday and Saturday, I managed to get to level 74. I can safely say that I will never sit in my room for two days living and breathing a video game, my back hurts, my legs hurt, and I didn’t eat or drink much. I was like a zombie drone staring at a computer screen killing pixel beasts.

I don’t really play it for the game, I play it because of the social aspect. I’ve been with the same guild for 4 years, and in that 4 years time I have made some really good friends and enjoy their company. I consider them friends because for a few hours on any given night were shooting the breeze and escaping reality. But, after Saturday night I realized I could never be addicted to a game like some other people are just because of the sheer fact that my body ached from playing that game so long.

So on Sunday, I got some flowers and candy, drove to my girlfriend’s place and thanked her for being a good sport about the whole thing. Back to real life I guess!

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Letter to the Pirates..(desperation)

Hello,

I am sending this e-mail because I for one am highly concerned with the state of the baseball team.  I know most likely this will fall on deaf ears or that this will end up in the spam box, but I really need to send this e-mail either out of desperation for myself or for the fact that baseball has changed and its not what it used to be for the Pirates.

I understand that you sell out games with family night, and I understand that with the current amount of people in the seats are family members who can get good family deals.  However, what are you doing for the real fans of this team?  What are you bringing in that will create a buzz for the faithful who will buy tickets at any price or will support you to the end?

I mean, I look back all the way to the 1992, when you could have chosen between Bonds and Slyke, management chose an outfielder who no doubt was a fan favorite, and passed up on an elitist ball player, who turned into a mega monster of a hitter.

Why did it have to a decision as one or the other?  Why not both?  I mean later on in the years you signed Kevin Young and Jason Kendall to big contracts for hardly any payback from either one of them, and accepted their average play for years after that.

Or the fact that Van Benshoten(spelling) a power hitting first baseman/outfielder into a pitcher?  I mean seriously what was the reasoning on that decision?

At this time I feel that you got lucky in the Bay trade, it was just another wash out for trading away another fan favorite(Brian Giles), and receiving, no name players in return in hopes of great fortune.  Bay was no doubt a fan favorite, and I am surely going to follow his career whether it be in Boston or wherever else he lands, but at least he gave all he could for an organization, that has more interest in gaining fans through concerts and fireworks than good play.

So who’s next?  Gorzo? Duke? Sanchez? Mclouth?  It’s sad that a true fan of the sport speculates who the next person to leave is rather than anticipate what they will do with the future of the team.

I will negate to mention the likings of Oliver Perez and how he was handled with the team.  Understand, that I love this town, I love this team, and live for black and gold, but I am sad to say that I would give anything to see the old pirates of the 60’s and 70’s play and dominate the field like they used to.

I suppose one day it will happen, but seeing as that I am 22 years old now, the team has been losing for 16 years, I fear that this long streak is a burden that is building like the Cubs or the Red Sox 90+ years without a championship.

I guess the only question I really have is,  I understand your rebuilding, and I get that your trying to build a roster of young talent in the minors, but what are you going to do for the fans of your team that support you to the end, and are not concerned with fireworks, concerts, and all you can eat sections?  I will be sending this letter to all newspapers and posting it on my blog, hope to hear a response.  Thanks for reading and lets make 09 a productive winning year!

Sincerely,
Clayton Nichols

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