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Merriment and melancholy inform the well-crafted songs on what promises to be another Kenny Chesney juggernaut. Less nostalgic than 2004's When the Sun Goes Down, The Road and the Radio nonetheless finds Chesney striking a reflective pose in several songs, including the original title song, where he waxes rhapsodic about the traveling life, the comfort of friends, and the "clarity and inspiration" he seeks from music and mobility. In "Living in Fast Forward," snarling '80s arena rock guitars fuel the anxious, but not altogether critical, musings on the furious pace of being a "hillbilly rock star out of control," Chesney wailing it like he knows it. Memories of faux rebellion and abiding, supportive values inform the reflections of "In a Small Town," a swirling, stomping ditty heavy on atmospherics supplied by congas and swelling accordion lines. Another highlight is the hard-driving, rock 'n' country track "Beer in Mexico," an upbeat, earnest query into the meaning of it all -- this life, that is -- that posits letting the answers come in time while popping another brew, anticipating enlightenment in due course. Tropicalia, Chesney's stock-in-trade in recent years, makes a suggestive appearance on the lilting beauty "Tequila Loves Me" (a holdover from the When the Sun Goes Down sessions), its steel drums and evocative accordion fills framing Chesney's fine, slightly bluesy vocal. Infectious and oftimes thoughtful, The Road and the Radio is a big-time winner.
Condition:NEW. TRACK LISTING
1 The Road and the Radio
2 Living in Fast Forward
3 Who You'd Be Today
4 You Save Me
5 Summertime
6 In a Small Town
7 Beer in Mexico
8 Freedom
9 Tequila Loves Me
10 Somebody Take Me Home
11 Like Me
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