Kenny Chesney w/ Uncle Kracker "When the Sun Goes Down"

anyone else think it's time for Uncle Kracker to pull a John Mellencamp and go back to whatever the hell his name really is?

In the meantime, it's nice to have a chat. What do you think of the Lorrie Morgan single, "Do You Still Wanna Buy Me That Drink? (Frank)"?

I like this idea because it jibes with my romantic notion of the beach as a free zone where the rules of quotidian life don't apply. I like it because it opens up all sorts of interesting radio possibilites. And I like it because faux-tropical Nashville sounds massage my ears in a supremely nice fashion.

The more steel drums on the airwaves, the better, as far as I'm concerned...

obv.

*is pelted, apologizes*

It also brings us back to the idea of the beach as a polymorphous playground that's free from the usual rules. As long as Chesney sets his story on the beach, it can be about damn near anything, including subjects that might otherwise make his core audience squirm...

I still can't decide which style is "better," but the divide itself is kinda interesting. Chesney's come up with not one, but two magic formulas. One: paint a realistic (if melodramatic) picture of the middle-aged American day-to-day. Two: daydream about krazy tropical beach parties.

In true Pop Freud fashion, the daydreams contain everything the "real life" scenarios exclude: hedonism, sexual ambiguity, rap-rock dudes, etc.

Chesney's not afraid to take the grown-up ballads way, way over the top, but his mini-Margaritavilles are, as Begs2Differ points out, a tad anemic. My rockist ears would be happier if the ballads were a little bit more restrained, and the carnival cuts a little bit less so. I'm sure if I told Kenny that, though, he'd just glance up from counting a giant stack of cash and lift an eyebrow as if to say "don't mess with success."

Original post OTM. I think Kenny Chesney is a little creepy, but this song is undeniable in that sinister sort of way. I like "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" better despite the presence of Jimmy Buffett.

One comma away from scintillating hyperbrilliance.

Is it 20 posts later yet? Anyway, I like the song just fine, though I think it might possibly only be Kenny's third best toes in the sand butt on the hammock slipped on a poptop wearing flipflops sipping margaritas calypso and western beach soul song ever, after, um, i forget the other two but one of them was that hit that started with Hawaaiian guitars on his last album and the other one comes later on his new album. Which I've decided is GREAT, by the way -- possibly my favorite album of 2004, so far. We shall see....

califlower: we can say whatever we want about this song, and you can defend it, and that's why freedom of speech kicks ass. did you see Kenny on CMT with Kid Rock? I had no idea he was that tiny! he's a little guy, that's cool.

as for the song: I've heard it a bunch of times and I still can't remember any of it except the title and Kracker's haircut, which I want but couldn't pull off in a million years. is it just me?

So, Califlower: what do you like better, Kenny in party-mode or sensitive ballad Kenny? "There Goes My Life" gets love around here; what's your take on this?

(Sorry, I'm just psyched that there's someone new who likes country.)