By By Emilia Benton
Kenny Chesney’s last three CDs, When the Sun Goes Down, No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems and Be as You Are: Songs from an Old Blue Chair, made it clear that his favorite topics to sing about are the beach and summertime. Although he manages to squeeze in songs about these subjects in his seventh album, The Road And The Radio, it is all about life, love and “needing to get away from it all.”
Be As You Are was a bit of a disappointment, as it was a collection of 13 slow songs about his island life, none of which were released for radio. Thankfully, the old Chesney is back and only made fans wait a year and a half after When the Sun Goes Down to release the kind of songs made for performing live-the ones his fans love to turn up loudly in their car.
The highlight of this album is definitely Chesney’s latest single, the catchy and fast-paced “Living In Fast Forward,” in which he calls himself a “hillbilly rock star out of control.” This album is the perfect blend of pop, rock and country, though Chesney has definitely moved closer to rock on this album than he has on previous efforts.
It’s not surprising that The Road And The Radio has more sad songs than usual for Chesney, as it was released shortly after his failed marriage with actress Renee Zellweger. The song “Tequila Loves Me” sounds like Chesney is touching on this subject, as it is about a person who loves someone and isn’t loved back. Another sad ballad is the first single, “Who You’d Be Today,” a touching song about people who pass away before truly getting to live their lives.
The up-tempo songs on this album, which include “Summertime,” and “Somebody Take Me Home,” are similar to rock songs but, of course, Chesney sings them with the trademark twang one expects from country. It’s hard to tell which songs will end up being released for radio, as none of them come off as “filler songs” on the 11-track album.
Chesney’s fans know that in addition to releasing five albums in the past five years, he also toured each summer and truly gives it his all at every show. The Road And The Radio will definitely make fans anticipate seeing him perform these songs live in the near future.
