Country music's biggest male star and unlikely sex symbol returns with his ninth album, "When the Sun Goes Down," his first record since March 2002's smash hit "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem." Kenny Chesney has slowly evolved into country's biggest idol and top-seller since his modest beginnings in 1994.
Chesney makes it no secret that he loves nothing more than spending his time in the sun in the Caribbean islands between recordings and tours. His past few albums have all been centered on this passion, lacing them with tracks about tropical parties and laid back life on the coast.
The Jimmy Buffet of Country is also known for his heartfelt ballads, slow and moving, often nostalgic about his own personal experiences growing up in east Tennessee. It was his emotional "Tin Man" which originally turned the heads of record execs in the early 90s to his raw voice talent.
Male mainstream country, for the most part, has a very evident set formula in the types of records it produces, especially in the past five years. To cut hit pop country records, a performer needs three things: A few upbeat party songs for the Southern frats and keggers, a few cheesy tunes about lost love and bad decisions for the ladies to swoon over and a few general, mid-paced melodies about dreams, growing up, falling in love and the like.
Chesney knows this equation well. He covers the entire ground of the formula blatantly, rarely if ever pushing the envelope of country music into new territory. But that is not how country music subsists. Chesney holds tight to his roots, his fan base and what has worked in the past. Although "When the Sun Goes Down" is certainly not dripping with originality by any stretch of the imagination, Chesney uses his perfected formula again, and once again it works reasonably well.
However, this new album is undeniably close to a carbon copy of his earlier release, "No Shoes, No Shirts, No Problem." It is downright impossible to miss the incredible parallels these two Chesney releases share. The title track is a duet with Uncle Kracker, sticking with the tropical beats of his previous album's theme. It is a fun, laid-back tune about the nightlife and ladies in the islands, and it will certainly get your feet tapping while you drive. This song will certainly be a crowd favorite in his upcoming tour "Guitars, Tiki Bars, and a Whole Lotta Love," so study up on the lyrics if you want to partake. Although it is the farthest a song can get from country and still be called country, it's definitely the best rip on the record.
On the other hand, Chesney's ninth track on the album, "Being Drunk's A Lot Like Loving You," reminded me of the late-80s, old-school country I grew up on when my dad was in control of the radio. The lyrics could easily be imported to a Randy Travis, George Strait or even George Jones album, but Kenny Chesney handles the song with panache and convinces me that he can rub shoulders with some of country music's elite.
"There Goes My Life," currently sitting on top of the charts as the best country single, is the song you're most likely to recognize from the FM. Where Tim McGraw sang about aborting a teen pregnancy in "Red Ragtop," Chesney paints a picture of a young couple that makes the opposite, pro-life choice and never looks back. He debuted the song at this year's Country Music Awards, and you could almost hear his lady fans reaching for their hankies around the U.S. This new ballad guarantees to displease the lovers of Chesney's drinking songs, odes to the tropical coast and tractors being sexy, but those who listen to Chesney for "The Good Stuff" and "If I Lost It" may have a new favorite Chesney tune.
Personally, it is his retrospective songs that tend to be my favorites. Dating back to "Back Where I Come From," up to "Young," Chesney's music about growing up, partying hard and getting away with too much seems to strike a cord.
His newest addition to this list of nostalgia-ridden songs, "Keg in the Closet," does not meet the standard he has set with his previous releases. It lacks the catch and country roots that make his earlier songs so special. This portion of the album is probably the biggest let down.
Also, Kenny Chesney has yet another song that he half sings, half narrates, like in his hit "A Lot of Things Different." Although I was a fan of that tune, when I heard him start talking on the album once again it felt tired and dilapidated. It was not something I was going into the record hoping for. Come on, Kenny - less yammering, more singing.
"When the Sun Goes Down" features three live bonus tracks tacked onto the end. As a frequenter of Kenny Chesney shows, I can tell you "Live Those Songs" gets an audience more fired up than most live performances of any song by any performer, so I really enjoyed the fact that Chesney recognized this from the stage and included it on the disc. One of his personal favorites, "What I Need to Do," and "Please Come to Boston" complete the live threesome.
Kenny Chesney has done nothing new here. He is apparently a firm believer in the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it motto," and it is hard to blame him. He has put together his third consecutive solid release that will certainly sell his most records to date, or at least come extremely close to his 2002 release. It will likely please most, if not all, of his existing fans.
The only problem is that by staying so close to his previous work, it is hard to gauge the extent of his vocal talents that you can see he possesses live in concert. By repeating his formula so much, he is really not giving himself enough credit. But, with "When the Sun Goes Down," he has another formulaic, sun-laden album that will be blasted by his fans all through the South until his next release. Just please do not let that future album be a repeat of a repeat.
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