VOA标准英语2013--Darius Rucker Releases Third Country Album

 

Darius Rucker Releases Third Country Album

“True Believers” recently became Darius Rucker’s third consecutive¹ Number One Country album.  He says its title track is the most personal song on the collection.  

Rucker collaborated² with his producer Frank Rogers and other songwriters on more than 60 songs before choosing the album’s final 12.

“The most important thing this time was the songs," he said. "This is the most important record of my career.  This record is going to make me a country superstar or it’s going to make me just another country singer.  I mean, it’s really that simple, so we knew we had to go do something special.  We had to have some songs that were going to connect with people and people are going to want to hear over and over and over again and want to go buy.  So we took our time and we worked on it.  I got the best compliment³ ever.  I played three songs for friends of mine who are DJs down at country radio in Charleston.  The first question he asked me is who is my new producer?  And I thought, ‘That’s a great question.’  I said, ‘The same guy.’  He said, ‘It doesn’t sound like it.’  That’s what we were going for.”

The second single from “True Believers” was “Wagon Wheel,” a cover of a bluegrass song originally recorded by Old Crow Medicine Show.  Rucker’s version spent two weeks at the top of the Country Airplay chart and its video is nearing 10 million views on YouTube.  Darius Rucker follows Ray Charles and Charley Pride as only the third African American artist to top the Country chart.

In 2008, Rucker released his debut⁴ solo⁵ album “Learn To Live,” which brought him the Country Music Association’s Best New Artist Award.  Last year, he was inducted into the iconic Grand Ole Opry.  Although Nashville and Country radio have welcomed his sound, the 47-year-old singer feels he still has much more to prove.

“I think the first two records, especially the first record, I wanted people to know how much I love the music.  And then the second record, [producer] Frank [Rogers] and I even said to each other, you know, ‘let’s just pick up where we left off of the first record.’ It wasn’t really trying to do anything new," Rucker said. "We had some more to say with that record - let’s pick up where we left off and write songs like that.  Well this record, it was totally different. …I didn’t feel like I had rest on anything that I had done before. I couldn’t rest on the last two records even though they had been successes.  I had to really go out and prove to everybody that we could make a great record.”

Darius Rucker is currently⁶ performing his first solo headlining tour to support “True Believers.”  In August, he’ll reunite with Hootie & The Blowfish in Charleston, South Carolina to perform their annual hometown concert.  He also expects to play some shows with the band next year to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its debut album “Cracked Rear⁷ View.”  That album sold more than 10 million copies in the United States, placing it among the Top 20 all-time biggest sellers.

Guests on “True Believers” include Lady Antebellum, up-and-coming Country singer-songwriter Mallory Hope and Sheryl Crow, who joins Darius Rucker on “Love Without You.”

1 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

2 collaborated   

合作( collaborate的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• We have collaborated on many projects over the years. 这些年来我们合作搞了许多项目。
• We have collaborated closely with the university on this project. 我们与大学在这个专案上紧密合作。

3 compliment   

n.[pl.]问候，致意；n./v. 称赞，恭维

参考例句：

• The manager paid her a compliment on her work.经理赞扬了她的工作。
• Your presence is a great compliment.承蒙光临，不胜荣幸。

4 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

5 solo   

n.独奏，独唱；adj.单独的；adv.单独地；v.放单飞，单独表演

参考例句：

• Tara is currently working on a solo album.塔拉眼下正忙着制作个人专辑。
• There's wonderfully lyrical flute solo in the middle of this symphony.在交响乐中间有一段奇妙的抒情长笛独奏。

6 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

7 rear   

vt.抚养，饲养；n.后部，后面

参考例句：

• We had to rear it in a nursery and plant it out.我们不得不在苗棚里培育它，然后再把它移植出来。
• The hall is in the rear of the building.礼堂在大楼的后部。