Solid album of neo-traditionalist country

As Chesnutt's hit-making years wound down at the end of the '90s, his MCA releases crept away from the neo-traditional honky-tonk that originally made him famous By the end of his tenure, and on his one album for Columbia, he was neither true to his country roots, nor finding crossover material that could catch the fickle ears of country radio. That all changed with his reemergence in 2004 as an indie artist. "Savin' the Honky Tonk," with its front cover nod to Waylon Jennings' "Honky Tonk Heroes," found Chesnutt rededicated to the sort of music that first energized his career: two-steps, shuffles and twangy ballads about loving, cheating, drinking and all manner of behavior in between.

The revival continued with 2006's "Heard It in a Love Song" for CBuJ, including a number of terrific covers that showed Chesnutt wasn't planning to pick up contemporary country's style any time soon. And now with this third indie release, waxed for Lofton Creek, Chesnutt continues in the same direction, though with a larger helping of original material and a vibe that hews more to the radio-friendly neo-traditionalist ideas that exploded on country radio in the '90s. In hindsight, it's easy to see how these sounds stood out from Nashville's crossover productions, and in the goes-around-comes-around vein, Chesnutt's new music stands out from the now-dominant rock-oriented and MOR sounds of Nashville's current stars.

The leadoff "Things To Do In Wichita" is a catchy update of the Statler Brothers' "Flowers on the Wall," providing an inventory of distractions for a man's broken heart. This gentle shuffle would get lost on today's country radio, but would have been a solid hit in the '90s. The album's other catalog song, "Live to Be 100," lists all the things a modern man has been told to give up, such as cigars, alcohol, burgers, fries, sugar and salt; Chesnutt lends the lyrics an irascible vibe ala Waylon Jennings. Chesnutt writes of his first meeting with Jennings in "Long Way to Go," and the advice the veteran gave to the budding star. A faithful cover of Charlie Rich's "Rollin' With the Flow" is turned mellow, with the song's signature instrumental lick accompanied by piano, steel, baritone guitar and a complementary string arrangement. The strings turn heavier for the countrypolitan "When I Get This Close to You," and the album's ballads are highlighted by the love song "When You Love Her Like Crazy" and the sentimental "Man in the Mirror," the latter written by Chesnutt about his father.

The disc's upbeat songs include the Cajun beat and tongue-twisting lyrics of "Going On Later On" and the can't-live-with-her, can't-live-without-her "If the Devil Brought You Roses." The album closes with the weeper "She Never Got Me Over You," the last song written by the legendary Keith Whitley. Chesnutt really connects with Whitley's lyrics of unrequited loss, offering up an understated by tremendously emotional vocal. And that's a good description of the entire disc: Chesnutt sounds effortless as he roams over his country influences, never imitating, but always tipping his hat. [©2008 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]