On his 1990 debut, Mark Chesnutt delivers his honky-tonk sounds straight up, without the usual pop chaser. Too Cold at Home presents the Lone Star State native as a no-nonsense country balladeer who avoids trendy gimmicks in favor of the genre’s timeless verities. Rather than coming across as a smooth-talking, Stetson-wearing lothario, he’s willing to bear his heartaches with a bemused smile. The genial Texas swing sounds of “Too Good a Memory,””Danger at My Door” and “Blame It On Texas” suit his retro-romantic persona especially well. He taps into the barroom bard tradition of George Jones, Webb Pierce and similar legends on “Brother Jukebox,” “Friends in Low Places” (done with more understatement than the Garth Brooks megahit version), and the outstanding title track. Chesnutt’s well-seasoned twang brings out the wry honesty of “Hey You There in the Mirror” and the rueful self-criticism of “Broken Promise Land.” Like good bourbon, Too Cold at Home has aged well, a testimony to Chesnutt’s unforced integrity and classic country style.