I know he didn't ask me, but I'll answer anyway...

Houston Chronicle music critic Joey Guerra, to pop-gone-country former Hootie and the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker:

Why do you think fans have accepted your sound over crossover discs from Jewel or Jessica Simpson?

I'd say it's because, like Dan Seals, Darius Rucker actually sounds like a credible country music singer and not like he's not just taking advantage of the popularity of the genre. (Considering some of the music Seals put out, one could say that's where his heart was all along, even if a lot of it had the more contemporary country sound.) Hell, even back when Hootie was still going strong I thought they could probably pull off making a country album if they really wanted to. Now I don't know if Darius Rucker will ever write or record a song as timeless as "Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)," but he's done pretty well for himself so far, I think. I was quite pleasantly surprised by Mr. Rucker citing Dwight Yoakam, Nanci Griffith and Hank Sr. and Jr. as his favorites. Considering that, it'll be interesting to see where he goes musically.