Kenny Chesney Album: “Be as You Are”

Description :

Personnel include: Kenny Chesney (vocals, acoustic guitar); Amy Jo Stelzer (vocals); John Willis (acoustic guitar, gut-string guitar); B. James Lowry (acoustic guitar, nylon-string guitar); J.T. Corenflos (electric guitar, gut-string guitar); Pat Buchanan (electric guitar, harmonica); John Jorgenson (electric guitar); Tommy White (dobro); Jim Hoke (pennywhistle, tenor saxophone); Jim Horn (tenor saxophone); Steve Herman (trumpet); John Hobbs, Randy McCormick (piano, Hammond b-3 organ, keyboards); David Briggs (piano, keyboards); Larry Paxton (bass guitar, fretless bass); Paul Leim (drums, shaker); Chad Cromwell (drums); Robert Greenidge (steel drum); Tom Roady (tambourine); Eric Darken (percussion). <p>Recording information: Emerald Entertainment, Nashville, Tennessee; Starstruck, Nashville, Tennessee; Westwood Studios, Nashville, Tennessee. <p>Though much of Kenny Chesney's recorded output is distinctly soft-spoken and genial, BE AS YOU ARE represents a full realization of his mellow side. A conceptual song-cycle written about the country singer's experiences in the Caribbean, the tunes here are often so laid-back that they make Jimmy Buffett seem as frenetic as David Byrne. <p>Ripping a page from Buffet's textbook, the album employs steel drums, Latin percussion, Cuban-style nylon-string guitar leads, and even the sounds of crashing waves, to induce a breezy, relaxed feeling that lingers long after the disc stops spinning. Chesney's exquisitely reserved vocals, however, always bear a hint of melancholy, suggesting an update of the same dark-side-of-the-island-vacation dream implied by Buffett himself in his hit "Margaritaville." Chesney has proclaimed BE AS YOU ARE as his "most personal" work, and the songs "Somewhere in the Sun" and "Boston" (which describes a woman who "wears a Red Sox cap to hide her baby dreads") both indicate an existential escapist fantasy lurking just beneath the surface of these still waters.

This CD will be in rotation on my CD player forever. Didn't really know what to expect, since I missed both playings of the CMT Special, but Kenny delivers.

If you (1) love the ocean (2) love the beach lifestyle (3) have spent time on a boat (4) spent time in Key West or (5) just like to hear really good stories told in song, then, RUN to the store or do the 1-Touch Order thing here at amazon and GET THIS CD.

After a day of listening, my favorites are #7 SOMETHING SEXY ABOUT THE RAIN and #11 MAGIC. Put either one of them on, grab your significant other and pretend you're dancing on the warm sand at sunset, even if you're really moving around on cold Spanish tile in your own land-locked den!

KEY LIME PIE is a cute ditty. Loved it. Will be singing the chorus for a long time. SOUL OF A SAILOR harkens to Jimmy Buffett's early days. GUITARS AND TIKI BARS will get radio play, to be sure. "Guitars and tiki bars and a whole lot of love."

The liner notes explain Kenny's love of the ocean. He really opens up about the pull of the sea and it feels so real.

Well done, Kenny. Well done.

don't listen to all these boo-hoo parrotheads who can't stand someome else singing about the islands. this album is great, i listen to it all summer while drinking my coronas. and yes i love jimmy buffet also, but hey single minded people, get over it. there is enough beach for two, and this is a great from the heart country album that relaxes you with an island vibe

I did not know Kenny Chesney fell in the same category as Jimmy Buffett. Im not sure what you call the category but Im a Boat Captain and my buds at the dock call Buffett's music Boat Music and it has a very loyal following. This CD by Kenny Chesney is Fantastic, and has become or even surpassed Jimmy Buffet as my Favorite cruising, boat, Island music CD. Kenny captured the feeling, being up in the flybridge listening to this CD is just indescribable. There are very few CD's you can listen to over and over again and not get tired listening to but this is one of them!! I've got a couple thousand sea miles on this CD and it still sounds fresh and new every time I hear it. If you ever spent any time around boats or ventured to the islands and meet the variety of people you meet on these journeys this CD hits home and is right on time and on target. If a song brings back memories, this Album makes you think Kenny has been with your through all your travels....Just Great! Just a great CD, THANKS KENNY!!Keep em coming because you are developing a great following, just like Jimmy Buffett! Understand, this is not a country CD in the traditional way. If your looking for a "your dog got run over and your granddad got busted for making moonshine" CD this is not it. But if you want to smile, want an escape, are taking a vacation or better yet, taking the Helm of a boat and want to relax and love life!, this is your CD!! It's so relevant, anyone can relate to the music. It's so good, Im thinking about naming my boat "Be As You Are"! Get this CD and if you don't like, look around Highlands, NJ for a boat named "Be As You Are" and I will give you a free NYC tour! You will listen to this CD on the trip and by the end you will have changed you mind! Thanks again Kenny! Keep up the good work and keep this type of music coming!!!!!! Sincerely, Capt. Martin

Kenny Chesney combines his island tone with his true feelings about his lifestyle to make a slow, but rhythmic album. His songs about life allow you to relax and take a deep breath while living a rat race of a life. Buy this cd and enjoy a relaxing hour of this island boy's life.

This cd uses honesty and an island theme to make you feel like you just got back from a vacation in the tropics. Your worries will be washed away by the lullaby and the waves of the ocean.

Anyone in need of relaxing should definitely buy this cd.