Tag Archives: Kenny Chesney

Playlists

July Playlist on Spotify and Apple Music

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Yes, the playlists are back! June had all the midyear lists, so I decided to just include some June songs in July’s playlist. Here’s where you can catch up on the latest stuff from artists such as Cody Jinks and Lori McKenna, the second artist to receive a 10/10 review in 2018, as well as check out some underrated names like Wes Youssi & the County Champs, Rhyan Sinclair, and El Coyote. Really strong playlist for the mainstream, including songs from Kenny chesney’s latest, songs from Dierks Bentley’s excellent album that came out in June, and new singles from Eric Church and cam. And speaking of new tracks, we have two strong ones from Jason Eady and Colter Wall off each of their upcoming records; any day either of these guys decides to release music into the atmosphere is a good one. As always, tremendous thanks to Zack for supplying this playlist to the Spotify people.

Apple Music users, you can follow me there @countryexclusive for this and all of our playlists, as well as for updates to the Saving Country Music Top 25. For July’s playlist,
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Spotify users, click below.

Reviews

Album Review: Kenny Chesney–Songs For The Saints

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Rating: 8/10

*All proceeds from the sale of Songs for the Saints will go to hurricane relief for the people of St. John*

Yes, Kenny Chesney has made a career largely out of setting the island life of his home on St. John to music. There are two sides to this coin, though: the side with carefree anthems like “No Shoes, NO Shirt, NO Problems,” and the side with the beautiful, introspective songs like “Old Blue Chair.” There will always be Chesney detractors and people who just don’t like beach songs, but for this listener, he hasn’t been a problem in the mainstream by any means until recently. with his last couple albums, Chesney has just not really been himself, much of the material just being bland and lacking substance. I wrote a piece in 2017 about mainstream artists I wished would just get back to being themselves as Brad Paisley had done on Love and War. Dierks Bentley did this on The Mountain, while Keith Urban released one of the worst albums I’ve ever heard with Graffiti U and continued to destroy his credibility and legacy. Kenny chesney joins Paisley and Bentley, making a substantive, smart, and introspective album and returning to what made him great in the first place. If you weren’t a fan of Kenny or beach songs before, this record isn’t going to change your mind, but if you’ve been a fan previously and have become disappointed by his recent output, this is a really nice return to form. It’s the album you want from Kenny Chesney and certainly one of the best mainstream releases of 2018 so far.

That introspective side to his style dominates this record. Chesney was shaken after Hurricane Irma devastated St. John in 2017, flying in medical supplies and aiding in the relief effort while he worked on this album. His kinship with the place and people inspired this project; the “saints” are the people of St. John, resilient and faithful to rebuild after the devastation. This record is a story of hope and perseverance, and Chesney’s love for these people and this island is on full display here. You can tell by listening that he is deeply affected, and the resultant songs are wistful and thoughtful rather than fluffy beach fare. As mentioned above, all proceeds from Songs for the Saints will go toward disaster relief for the people of St. John.

It takes a bit for this album to hit its stride. There’s nothing inherently bad on this record, but the only really great moment of the first five tracks is “Pirate song,” a rambling song like so many others, yet focused on sailing the seas rather than life on the road drifting from town to town. “Get along” is admittedly much better here than it was as a single, and I’ll gladly take back my words in context of the album. The whole record has this carefree, relaxed vibe, and the introspection of “Get Along,” though still lightweight compared to some of the rest of these songs, does fit in here rather well. This first half is already an improvement for Chesney, but it’s definitely the weaker half of the project.

It’s at track 6, with the cover of Lord Huron’s “Ends of the Earth,” where the album really hits its sweet spot, going from something decent and fun to something really wonderful. This song captures that rambling, drifting sentiment first introduced in “Pirate song,” and the production really adds something special to it. The song slowly builds throughout, from relaxed and content to determined and intense; that moment when the drums come in at the first chorus is one of my favorite musical moments of 2018. This was an excellent selection for Kenny Chesney to cover.

Kenny’s penchant for selecting great songs continues with “Gulf Moon,” a song written and previously recorded by Texas songwriter John Baumann, whose latest record Proving Grounds was one of the best of 2017, coming in at #10 on my year-end album list. “Gulf Moon” has all the earmarks of a John Baumann tune, rife with description and detail, from the bartender who “works the jar with a discount flirt, a faded Houston Oilers shirt” to describing the night sky as “the black expanse where the stars flicker and planets dance.” If you’re stumbling onto this song as a Chesney fan, please go check out John Baumann. The same is true for Travis Meadows, who co-wrote the album closer, “Better Boat” with Liz Rose. Meadows’ version came on the 2017 record First Cigarette, which reached #13 on the year-end list here. ON Meadows’ album, this song of overcoming adversity and learning to ride the waves in the storms of life reflected the themes of nostalgia and determination permeating that record; on Chesney’s album, with the references to boats and waves and the gentle harmonies of Mindy Smith, (Mindy Smith, by the way, not some mid-level pop star), it becomes a standout and a fitting conclusion to this statement. And you can’t argue with the selection of Jimmy Buffett’s wistful “Trying to reason with Hurricane season” and the decision to feature Buffett on this version.

Even among the lighter songs, there’s substance and depth. “Island Rain” uses the metaphor of that elusive phenomenon, here and gone in five minutes’ time, to illustrate the passing of life’s troubles, all your worry being washed away by the cleansing rain. “Every Heart” compares all of us to islands, shipwrecked and searching out in the wind for life’s answers. There’s a thread of hope and resiliency running through this whole thing that is so uplifting and encouraging.

I don’t think this album is going to create new Kenny Chesney apologists, except maybe those John Baumann fans checking out this recording of “Gulf Moon,” but it is the album to turn back those hesitant Chesney fans who were disappointed by his more recent releases. Similar to Brothers Osborne’s latest album, this record captures the islands and beaches in a way that’s thoughtful and introspective. It’s beachy, yes, but in the way of the locals, not in the way of the tourists who flock to the islands when the weather is right. This is an album of the people who call this place their home, who see the other side of the ocean’s beauty when the storms come and destroy homes and claim lives, and yet still have the courage to rebuild because this place is in their blood. It’s in the heart and soul of Kenny Chesney, and Songs for the Saints is him wearing his heart on his sleeve. This is one of his strongest and most personal records to date.

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Reviews

Single Review: Kenny Chesney’s “Get Along”

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Rating: 5/10

Look, we all knew this was coming, that in this especially divisive political and social climate, some mainstream country artist was going to release something about this and tell us something generic like that we should all get along. Enter Chesney, who literally calls this “Get Along” and asks if we can’t all just well, get along.

When I heard this was coming, I had a bad feeling I was going to hate it. I’m pleasantly surprised to say I don’t. It comes with a nice, bouncy melody and even some substance in the verses as he interacts with specific people and paints pictures of loneliness. It reminds me startlingly of Keith Urban’s “Female,” where the verses actually tried to go for something by giving specific examples and imagery. Kenny Chesney delivers it with some personality as well, unlike his last couple of singles.

But just like with “Female,” Shane McAnally manages to ruin this in the chorus. I can’t prove that McAnally is the one, of the three songwriters who produced this, responsible for penning the lines, “paint a wall, learn to dance, call your mom, buy a boat, drink a beer, sing a song,” but then again, it’s almost proof in and of itself. It’s the same listastic bullshit which ruined “Female” and which follows McAnally around. It takes a song which tries to say something meaningful and then inserts a list of crap which, in the case of both of these songs, has nothing to do with anything. What does painting a wall have to do with getting along with people and loving your neighbor? That’s right, nothing.

This song is pretty much harmless; I wouldn’t change the station if it came on. It’s not the offensive mess it could have been. But it’s not some deep, thought-provoking anthem that tries to unite us all either. You can’t do this with a song so transparent anyway. It takes something like the simple story in Jason Eady’s “Black Jesus,” or the sharp wit in “But You Like Country Music” from sunny Sweeney and Brennen Leigh, to really bring people from opposite backgrounds and political affiliations together. Both of those songs will stand the test of time. This is not a terrible song, but it’s far from the statement it claims to be, and ultimately, it will be quickly forgotten.

Written by: Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally, Ross Copperman

Commentary

Artists I Wish Would Take a Hint From Brad Paisley

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Brad Paisley was one of the first artists that got me into country music. He may not be your favorite–and that’s okay–but you can’t argue with songs like “Who Needs Pictures,” “we Danced,” and certainly “Whiskey Lullaby.” He was one of the people that I heard on the radio in the late 90’s and early 2000’s that made me fall in love with this genre. He really disappointed me on his last two albums; they weren’t terrible, but they just weren’t Brad Paisley. You could tell he was trying to be something he was not. His guitar play was noticeably lacking, and he seemed to be veering toward chasing radio success. On his latest album, Love and War, he has gone back to being himself, and that’s just refreshing. There was a discussion on SCM about whether or not Brad will make it into the Hall of Fame, and all that remains to be seen, but he can’t do anything better than be himself, and that’s what he has done on his latest record. It got me thinking and talking about a lot of the artists that got me into country in the first place. A lot of them made some fine music earlier in their careers but have since started to kill their legacies by chasing short-term success and promoting mindless singles to radio. They could learn from Paisley, as well as Tim McGraw, who has also returned to form recently. Zac Brown Band could easily be talked about on either side of the conversation here, but I’ll reserve judgment until May 12th and hope I can include them in with Paisley and McGraw. Anyway, let me know if there are any artists you’d add to this list, as these are just the ones whose decline in quality over the years has personally bother me the most.

Dierks Bentley

Why, why can’t we get back the Dierks Bentley of “Up on the ridge” and “Riser?” Yep, “riser” was released in 2015; even then, he hadn’t sold out. There’s not even any point in him selling out this way–he was getting airplay anyway. Black is certainly not the most terrible album I’ve heard in recent memory, but it’s one of the most disappointing because I really thought we could count on Dierks Bentley. This is what he is capable of.

Blake Shelton

I own a Blake Shelton album called Loaded: the Best of Blake Shelton. Ironically, that album was released just prior to the beginning of his stint on The Voice, and so, essentially, it really is the best of Blake. Anyway, that record is great. But people won’t remember that; he’s done his best to eradicate all that in the past five years with the majority of his singles. I remember when I first heard “Austin,” and it blew me away. Same goes for “Don’t Make Me.” Blake does a lot for traditional country and music of substance from his chair on The Voice, and I just wish he’d take his own advice because if he did, I think he could be remembered for more than his reality show and his obnoxious tweets.

Keith Urban

Those of you that are shocked I own a Blake Shelton album, brace yourselves for this…I own no less than six–yep six–Keith Urban records…I’ll give you a moment to digest the fact that I’m not a Sturgill apologist, yet I own six Keith Urban records…now then. Keith Urban was a prime example of what good pop country is supposed to be–right up till the single “Little Bit of Everything” and his American Idol run (coincidence, Blake?). He used to write much of his material as well, and whether you enjoyed it or not, he was real. Keith Urban might be the most disappointing artist in the mainstream for me because he is just simply better than the crap he is releasing to radio–and it’s not as if he was ever especially traditional in the first place, so I don’t exactly see radio not playing him if he went back to more meaningful material. It literally boils down to laziness in his case, and that’s unfortunate.

Kenny Chesney

He is better than this too, even if you’re sick of beach music. His last record was absolutely boring and lifeless. Even Chesney sounds bored. I miss the days of “There Goes my Life” and “Old Blue chair.” Like Brad and Keith, even if Kenny isn’t your favorite, he used to at least be himself.

Eli Young Band

I remember when Eli Young Band were a cool Texas band releasing equally cool new music instead of shit like “Turn it On.” Yeah, that is basically all.

Honorable Mentions

  • Josh Turner–His last album wasn’t quite disappointing enough to piss me off on this level, it was mainly just boring, but if he releases more like this, he’ll make the list.
  • Little big town–I wish they’d get back to themselves, but I didn’t enjoy them enough when they were themselves to be as annoyed by them now. Also, The Breaker was a small step in the right direction.
  • the Band Perry–I don’t think them coming back to themselves is even possible at this point, so I don’t see the point listing them here.
Commentary

The 51st Annual ACM Award Nominees, With Commentary

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This morning, (2/1), the nominees for the 2016 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards were revealed on CBS the Morning and ETOnline.com. The ACM Awards will take place on April 3rd at the MGM Grand Ballroom in Las Vegas and air on CBS. For the first time in several years, Blake Shelton will not be one of the hosts–this year it will be Blake’s former co-host, Luke Bryan, along with Dierks Bentley. This seems an unlikely pair to say the least, but we’ll see on April 3rd. Here are the nominees, along with predictions, preferences, and some personal commentary.

Video of the Year

“Biscuits”–Kacey Musgraves, directed by Mark Klausfeld, produced by Nicole Acacio
“Burning House”–Cam, directed by Trey Fanjoy, produced by Trent Hardville
“Girl Crush”–Little Big Town, directed by Karla Welch and Matthew Welch, produced by Amanda Prunesti
“Mr. Misunderstood”–Eric Church, directed by Reid Long and John Peets, produced by Megan Smith
“Riser”–Dierks Bentley, directed by Wes Edwards, produced by Jennifer Rothlein
Prediction: “Burning House” or “Riser”
Preference: none

New Male Vocalist of the Year

Good to see the ACM’s breaking down this category again, as for the past several years it has been simply “New Artist.”

Brett Eldredge [no]
Chris Janson [no]
Thomas Rhett [really?]
Chase Rice [hell no]
Chris Stapleton [thank God]
Prediction: Chris Stapleton
Preference: Chris Stapleton…I would prefer Chris Stapleton anyway, but out of these, do I really have a choice?
Note: When is Thomas Rhett going to stop getting nominated for New Artist awards?

New Female Vocalist of the Year

Kelsea Ballerini [no]
Cam [yes!]
Mickey Guyton [good]
RaeLynn [oh God no]
Prediction: Cam or Kelsea Ballerini
Preference: Cam
Note: Only four artists here…what happened to including more women? This is the only category to be missing an artist….and if we can nominate Thomas Rhett, surely we can nominate Ashley Monroe or Jana Kramer. Many more if they knew how to think outside the box…Jamie Lin Wilson anyone? Having said that, I’m impressed with the inclusion of Mickey Guyton, it is well deserved.

New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year

A Thousand Horses [ok]
Brothers Osborne [good]
Maddie & Tae [yes]
Old Dominion [please]
Parmalee [no]
Prediction: Maddie & Tae
Preference: Maddie & Tae
Note: I am sorry that Maddie & Tae and Brothers Osborne must be in the same category with the likes of Old Dominion. Maddie & Tae really deserve this award and should win it…they deserve to be the Duo of the Year, but this would involve de-throning Florida Georgia Line.

Vocal Event of the Year

“Hang Over Tonight”–Gary Allan featuring Chris Stapleton, produced by
Gary Allan and Greg Droman, MCA Nashville
“Home Alone Tonight”–Luke Bryan featuring Karen Fairchild, produced by Jeff Stevens and Jody Stephens, Capitol Nashville
“Raise ’em Up”–Keith Urban featuring Eric Church, produced by Nathan Chapman and Keith Urban, Hit Red Records/Capitol Nashville
“Smokin’ and Drinkin'”–Miranda Lambert featuring Little Big Town, produced by Frank Liddell, Chuck Anilay, and Glenn Worf, RCA Nashville
“Wild Child”–Kenny Chesney with Grace Potter, produced by Buddy Cannon and Kenny Chesney, Blue Chair Records/Columbia Nashville
Prediction: “Raise ’em Up”
Preference: “Wild Child” out of these, but there are better nominees by far.
Note: Why is “Hang Over Tonight” being nominated for anything? This was not successful commercially or critically, has stalled Gary Allan’s entire career, and cost him millions of fans…but let’s nominate it for an ACM, makes perfect sense. “Home Alone Tonight” is trash, “Smokin’ and Drinkin'” is just there, and the others are decent. Terrible list altogether. The CMA nominated Willie and Merle’s collaboration album at least.

Single Record of the Year

Interestingly, or stupidly, the Song of the Year and Songwriter of the Year nominees are not out yet and should be announced “in the coming weeks”…Song of the Year has traditionally been about critical acclaim, and Single Record was for commercial success, but lately they have become somewhat interchangeable.

“Burning House”–Cam, produced by Jeff Bhasker, Tyler Johnson, and Cameron Ochs, Arista Nashville/RCA Records/Kravenworks [excellent]
“Buy me a Boat”–Chris Janson, produced by Brent Anderson, Chris DuBois, and Chris Janson, Warner Music Nashville [no]
“Die a Happy Man”–Thomas Rhett, produced by Dan Huff and Jesse Frasur, The Vallory Music Co. [to be expected, but hell no]
“Girl Crush”–Little Big Town, produced by Jay Joyce, Capitol Records Nashville [yes]
“I’m Comin’ Over”–Chris Young, produced by Corey Crowder and Chris Young, RCA Nashville [decent]
Prediction: No idea…this could go to Cam, Thomas Rhett, or Little Big Town, if we’re talking commercial success. All three would deserve it based on this.
Preference: “Burning House” or “Girl Crush”
Note: The only thing I’m certain of here is that Chris Young has absolutely no chance.

Album of the Year

I’m Comin’ Over–Chris Young, produced by Corey Crowder and Chris Young, RCA Records [lol]
Montevallo–Sam Hunt, produced by Zach Crowell and Shane McAnally, MCA Nashville [never]
Mr. Misunderstood–Eric Church, produced by Jay Joyce, EMI Records Nashville [yes]
Tangled up–Thomas Rhett, produced by Dan Huff, Jesse Frasur, and Chris Destafano, The Vallory Music Co. [absolutely horrifying]
Traveller–Chris Stapleton, produced by Dave Cobb and Chris Stapleton, Mercury Records [yes]
Prediction: Traveller
Preference: Traveller
Note: Glad to see Eric Church with a nomination here, and disappointed in the lack of women. Thomas Rhett’s Tangled Up is even worse than Montevallo which is saying something…some good nominees, but a bad category overall. At least Stapleton is now a front runner, after his upsets at the CMA’s. But Kacey Musgraves should definitely have a nomination here. The fact that Chris Young’s boring effort is here is completely laughable.

Vocal Duo of the Year

Brothers Osborne [good]
Dan + Shay [no]
Maddie & Tae [yes]
Joey + Rory [good]
Florida Georgia Line[no]
Prediction: Maddie & Tae…going out on a limb.
Preference: Maddie & Tae
Note: I don’t think Florida Georgia Line will do it again…they’ve slipped in popularity. Also, never underestimate the power of the sympathy vote for Joey + Rory, cancer is a powerful thing. I’m glad to see Joey + Rory with a nomination too, but they shouldn’t get the win…that right belongs to Maddie & Tae, and enough splitting of the votes may happen here that we will see them take it.

Vocal Group of the Year

Wow, what an awful category.

Eli Young Band [no]
Little Big Town [yes]
Old Dominion [for the love of God]
Rascal Flatts [no]
Zac Brown Band [not after this year….”Beautiful Drug” is not worth any recognition, even if the group is]
Prediction: Little Big Town…they’ve become the Miranda Lambert of the Vocal Group category.
Preference: Little Big Town
Note: Can we give it to Turnpike Troubadours?

Male Vocalist of the Year

Jason Aldean [no]
Dierks Bentley [good]
Eric Church [yes]
Brett Eldredge [lol]
Chris Stapleton [yes]
Prediction: Eric Church or Chris Stapleton
Preference: Chris Stapleton, but I’d be happy with Eric.
Note: No Blake Shelton…interestingly, Blake Shelton was shut out entirely from this extravaganza.

Female Vocalist of the Year

Kelsea Ballerini [no]
Jana Kramer [good]
Miranda Lambert [duh]
Kacey Musgraves [good]
Carrie Underwood [good]
Prediction: Miranda Lambert–like with the CMA’s, I’m not an idiot.
Preference: Carrie Underwood
Note: Glad to see Jana Kramer with a nomination…if we could have replaced Kelsea with Ashley Monroe, this would have been a pretty fair list.

Entertainer of the Year

Jason Aldean [no]
Garth Brooks [good]
Luke Bryan [duh but no]
Eric Church [good]
Miranda Lambert [good]
Prediction: Luke Bryan, with an outside chance of Garth Brooks
Preference: Garth Brooks