When the Sun Goes Down

 (54 customer reviews)

I've never been a huge Kenny Chesney fan. His early music was immature and radio-friendly to the core. His latter-day music, however, has an edge to it--for example: few artists would have the nerve to record a song as brutally honest as "Anything but Mine;" still fewer would put it out as a single (and the controversy this song may or may not cause isn't even intended to sell the record, as evidenced by the fact that it's already won awards and been named Country Album of the Year, and established Chesney as a serious artist). I respect Chesney for that, and so I decided to buy the album.

This is great music right here. Unlike a lot of contemporaries, Chesney is a great writer--he doesn't write much, but the four songs he wrote or cowrote on here ("I Got Back", "Keg in the Closet," "Bein Drunk's a Lot Like Lovin You," and "Old Blue Chair") are four of the best. And his choice of covers is nearly impeccable..."There Goes My Life" still brings a tear to my eye, while...Read more

Great album, but if you purchase it at Target, you get a bonus CD with 5 cover songs. (I'm on Fire, Come Monday, etc.)

When this Luttrell, Tennessee, lad broke on the country scene, it appeared he was just another in a large crop of look-alikes and sound alikes. Now, as he's grown up a bit, Kenny Chesney certainly is one of country's superstars, as witnessed by the recent CMA success.

With "When the Sun Goes Down" there's no debate. He's hot and heavy, making the sophisticated (and not so sophisticated) TV talk shows and showing a depth that is not common with a lot of modern musical superstars.

In "I Go Back" and "The Woman with You," Kenny shows a depth of perception and performance that highlights this CD. His driving, rock-hard productions blend cleverly, creatively, and certainly the best of good rock and high-end country, a juxtapositioning of entertainment that catches you where it should. He feels at home, no matter where, and his numbers indicate he knows where he's going and it's going to be all the way-his way. He's maturing as a song-writer ("I've read a lot of...Read more