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Seriously mellowing out, Kenny Chesney offers up a tune stack that mostly comprises thoughtful, relaxed meditations on the good things he’s found in life, informed by the island sensibility he has co-opted from one Jimmy Buffett. An acoustic-based ode to the title’s old blue chair kicks off the proceedings, Chesney’s fingerpicking providing the backdrop for a catalogue of warm memories associated with the chair’s lifetime in the household (it’s a spiritual kin to an early Mary-Chapin Carpenter gem, "This Shirt"). The lure, and allure, of island life is beautifully evoked in the lilting "Somewhere in the Sun," all graceful rhythm and Hallmark-burnished sentiments extolling the languorous, stress-free pace of things down where our galaxy’s biggest star shines brightest. A gentle shuffle and the subtle cries of a pedal steel heighten a bittersweet memory of a still-vivid summer love, "Something Sexy About the Rain," a genuinely sensuous linking of the movements of the heart and the rhythms of the natural world. On a lighter, upbeat note, "Guitars and Tiki Bars," celebrates a carefree life enriched by "a whole lotta love" and emphasizes the point with a celebratory Caribbean rhythm replete with a burbling organ and the happy ping of steel drums; a funky little acoustic-keyed number, "Key Lime Pie," describes an idyllic world centered on an affection for the titular delicacy. "Magic" is the real treasure here. In a fine, pop-style crooner’s voice, Chesney enumerates the joys of the tropical life in a slow, bluesy arrangement for the wee small hours, its swaying rhythm marked by an intoxicating blend of steel drums, acoustic guitar, cabaret piano, and sexy alto sax punctuations. In repose, Kenny Chesney has found a most compelling voice and delivers an album that will endure long beyond the life of any radio hits.
Condition:NEW. Drilled Case.
TRACK LISTINGS
1. Old Blue Chair
2. Be as You Are
3. Guitars and Tiki Bars
4. Island Boy
5. Somewhere in the Sun
6. Boston
7. Something Sexy About the Rain
8. French Kissing Life
9. Key Lime Pie
10. Sherry's Living in Paradise
11. Magic
12. Soul of a Sailor
13. Old Blue Chair
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