Kenny Chesney
When asked about his various romantic woes, Chesney told a Playboy interviewer, "My first five years on the road were intense because I was the guy in college who never got laid until I started playing guitar." If that isn't a ringing endorsement for studying music, I'm hanging up my guitar and getting a proper job.
Kenny Chesney is one of the biggest modern country stars. He's been able to play large arena shows in places like Washington D.C. and Boston, where country music usually has a difficult time penetrating. Beyond his affable frat boy vibe, best displayed in the quintessential party song "Out Last Night," he's got a funky fusion sound that's somewhere between Jimmy Buffet style gulfwestern country, steel drums and southern rock. His music is very rich and upbeat, with goofy songs like "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" celebrating farming equipment as aphrodisiacs and "Shiftwork," a humorous tribute to people who work long hours on the job. There's a certain laid back wisdom to Chesney's work, and he's got a gift for taking old themes and ideas and keeping them interesting.
Poets and Pirates
Chesney has been around for a while now and he's got a pretty impressive body of work built up, so the waters can be a little difficult to navigate for new fans. He's got a couple of greatest hits albums, which is always a good introduction and will give you a handle on Chesney's award-winning work. Beyond that, his best selling albums include The Road and the Radio, Everywhere We Go, Be As You Are (Songs from an Old Blue Chair), When the Sun Goes Down and, my personal favorite, No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem. Anyone who can write a country song about Jamaica and include steel drums in his tunes is alright in my book.
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