The Road and the Radio

Kenny Chesney’s second album of 2005, The Road and the Radio expands the template of Be As You Are (Songs From An Old Blue Chair) to even better results — almost half of the album’s 11 songs were Top Five hits. “Summertime” encapsulates Chesney’s ability to deliver a good-time singalong that appeals equally to fans of rock, pop and country. “Somebody Take Me Home” and “Living In Fast Forward” have the surging energy of stadium rock, delivered with the down-home feeling of country music. It’s easy to imagine that these were the songs that convinced Bon Jovi to try his hand in the country music industry; “You Save Me” is similarly reminiscent of soaring Bon Jovi ballads like “Always.” He experiments with a variety of musical textures (notice the accordion flourishes in “Tequila Loves Me”), but the unadorned “Like Me” makes for the perfect closer. A simple, understated piece of country folk, the song includes a sincere salutation to Chesney’s listeners: “To every dreamer I have known may the luck take you home / I pray for every wannabe / Dreaming big and living free like me.”