Kenny's back with more soulful style
Kenny Chesney has an impressive track record, scoring more Top 10 country hits than any other artist this century. By Kimberley Peacock - 05/11/08
The Country Music Entertainer of the Year has sold in excess of a million concert tickets, each year, for six years running. With a fresh new musical style and an eagerly anticipated album on the way, he’s sure to hit seven.
In his new album ‘Lucky Old Sun’ Chesney has created a project that not only honours the time he’s spent on the water, but also dives a little deeper into the very essence of the man he’s become there. His love affair with the ocean stretches back almost as far as his debut hits, and has coloured most of his
musical work.
Lucky Old Sun began as a duet recorded with Willie Nelson, not as a
project but rather for the sake of the song. Willie’s musical style directly influenced Chesney and was pivotal in the evolution of the new album. Chesney explained ‘If there’s one thing I learned from Willie – beyond to truly breathe – it was his gift to touch people’.
Songs such as ‘Way Down Here’ and ‘I’m Alive’ focus on digging a little deeper in life, letting go of what you know and trying to find an inner peace. This album definitely embraces an artistic shift,
experimenting with the sounds of Bob Dylan, Randy Newman and Guy Clarke.
With ‘Lucky Old Sun’ Chesney has changed the pace; the songs are more thoughtful and hold more meaning. The records are focused more on soul-searching and looking back rather than partying and summer-time.
Chesney explained the change saying, ‘I think you get to a place where your fans want more from you, want to listen to what’s really going on in your life’.
The country singer originally had a few doubts over the response to his change in musical style. ‘When you do something that is a little more intimate, that’s a little bit less about the party and the good times, your not sure how people are going to react’.
He needn’t have worried, as response to the new album has been unprecedented, with the debut single ‘Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven’ spending multiple weeks at No 1 on the country radio charts. Chesney has now topped the 200 albums chart five times, and has become the 21st Century’s top North American ticket seller in any genre!
Chesney’s music has become the soundtrack to coming of age in America’s heartland. The singer has shown his versatility in ‘Lucky Old Sun’ embracing a softer and more personal style. The endless imbalance in life and the conflicts within one’s self is where Lucky Old Sun sets sail.
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