Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates

iTunes Review

Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates (2007) finds Kenny Chesney emphasizing his serious side as well as his beach bum inclinations. Fortunately, Chesney has the vocal gravitas to pull off a darkly brooding number like "Demons" as well as balmy, tropical-flavored fare like "Shiftwork," a duet with George Strait. There's a good deal of philosophizing here, particularly in "Don't Blink," a meditation upon fleeting happiness. In "Never Wanted Nothing More," Chesney flashes through life-changing experiences involving cars, sex, marriage and the Lord — definitely the stuff modern country hits are made of. "Dancin' for the Groceries" introduces a poignant element in its portrait of a single mom moonlighting as a stripper. There's room allowed for a little bad-boy behavior as well — "Got a Little Crazy" recounts a one-night stand to a reggae lilt, while a cover of Dwight Yoakam's "Wild Ride" rocks mightily thanks to Joe Walsh's raucous guitar licks. Overall, Just Who I Am presents Cheney as a maturing artist while retaining enough good-time spirit to please the singer's most fun-craving fans.