Darius Rucker will drop his fifth country album, When Was the Last Time, on Oct. 20.
The 12-song offering already boasts a No. 1 hit, as lead single, “If I Told You,” reached the top of the Billboard Country Airplay chart in June. The album’s follow-up single, “For the First Time,” is No. 45 on the chart after seven weeks.
In addition to featuring top songwriters such as Dean Dillon, Ross Copperman, Shane McAnally, J.T. Harding and more, When Was the Last Time also throws it back to the late ’80s with a cover of Drivin’ N’ Cryin’s “Straight to Hell.”
Darius enlisted the help of a few of his A-list friends—Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley—to provide vocals on the tune.
“‘Straight to Hell’ was huge in my day—when it was played in the bar, every single person in the bar was singing and hugging their best friend,” says Darius to Nash Country Daily. “I’ve wanted to cut that song since I came to Nashville, and I kept saying I was going to cut it someday. For this record, I was thinking about cutting it. Then Charles Kelley called me out of the blue and says, ‘Man, I was just listening to Drivin’ N’ Cryin’s “Straight to Hell” and I think you should cut it, and you should let me sing on it.’ I took that as the universe telling me it was time to cut the song, and I cut it. Jason [Aldean] and Luke [Bryan] and Charles and I are good buddies, so getting them to come sing on it made it something special.”
When Was the Last Time Track List and Songwriters
- “For the First Time” (Darius Rucker, Derek George, Scooter Carusoe)
- “Bring It On” (Ross Copperman, Ashley Gorley, Dallas Davidson)
- “Life’s Too Short” (Copperman, Jon Nite, Jaren Johnston)
- “If I Told You” (Copperman, Shane McAnally, Nite)
- “Don’t” (Adam Doleac, A.J. Babcock, Pete Good)
- “Twenty Something” (McAnally, Nite, Zach Crowell, Josh Osborne)
- “Straight to Hell” with Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Charles Kelley (Kevin Kinney)
- “Count the Beers” (Rucker, Dean Dillon, Josh Thompson)
- “Another Night With You” (Rucker, Dillon, Josh Thompson)
- “Hands On Me” (Copperman, McAnally, J.T. Harding)
- “She” (Chris Tompkins, Rodney Clawson)
- “Story to Tell” (Copperman, Gorley, Rucker)
Check out “Straight to Hell” by Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ below.