www.dericruttan.net
Like a ray of light through a hapless rain cloud Deric Ruttan is back and gracing us with his third studio album…”Sunshine”. Deric Ruttan grew up in small town Ontario, Canada, and now calls Nashville his home, but this album is full of references to that small town upbringing. Sunshine, released on January 12/10, already has it’s first single, “Sing That Song Again” climbing Canadian country music charts and at the time of writing this sits at number 23 on the Top 100 of Mediabase’s Canadian Country list.
A prolific, award winning, songwriter with hit songs by the likes of Aaron Pritchett (Hold My Beer), Eric Church (Guys Like Me), and Dierks Bentley (What Was I Thinkin’), Ruttan turns his artistic pen back onto songs for himself and I think this will be his biggest album yet.
One song that has leapt out at me aside from the opening single is the memory inducing slow dirge “I Still Think of You” which sends the mind down roads thinking of past relationships whether good or bad and how the paths of our life can still spark those memories of the past, fantastic song.
Speaking of the ‘small town’ references earlier brings us to the song that makes me think of childhood in “Where The Train Don’t Stop” speaking to anyone that, like myself, grew up in that small town where excitement could mean that very train rolling through town.
“Up All Night” the newly released single off of Sunshine makes us think of another great song penned by Deric Ruttan in ‘Hold My Beer’, that makes us think of that great night out at the pub with friends, listening to a great band on a night we don’t want to end.
There are many more wonderful songs on the new album and I have to give “Sunshine” full marks for taking us on a ride of emotions from fun to fantastic, emotional and energetic, to somber and contemplative.
Deric and his band are currently on a cross Canada tour with CCMA Artist’s of the Year, Doc Walker which I will be attending on February 15/10 here in Moncton…see Deric’s web site for tour details (www.dericruttan.net)
1. Sing That Song Again
2. Sunshine (Hey Little Girl)
3. That’s How I Wanna Go Out
4. Up All Night
5. I Still Think Of You
6. Where The Train Don’t Stop
7. One In A Million
8. We’re All Alright
9. The River Taught Her How To Run
10. That Guy
11. Just To Get To You
Rating: 4.5 / 5