Rollin' With The Flow continues Mark Chesnutt's track record of releasing Country Music that could put many of today's artists to shame. There's not a bad song to be found across the twelve tracks and you'd be hard pressed to find something wrong with any part of this collection.
Album Review:
Mark Chesnutt's music has always been consistent. You know what you're going to get when you purchase his albums and that's one of the reasons why I am a fan. Purely traditional is how I would describe his sound to listeners who haven't yet heard any of his songs. Think along the lines of George Strait.
The Songs:
"When You Love Her Like Crazy" is sweet, in that a man talks about how he's willing to drop everything when the woman he loves is in need. "Forget all logic and all reasons why. There's a word that describes what I'm acting like," he says. There's nothing he wouldn't do for her, because she makes him want to follow his heart instead of his head.
The album's first single was "Rollin' With The Flow," which some Country Music fans might recognize as the same song Charlie Rich released and took to No. 1 back in 1977. Of course Mark's version is more suited for today's audience and what I like is that it seems to be a song that can truly stand the test of time.
There are two songs which are perfect examples of the kind of upbeat, honky tonkin' sounds I like from Mark Chesnutt. The first is "Going On Later On," which is sure to be played in bars all across Texas. I can close my eyes and see people hitting the dance floor as it blasts over the jukebox or (in the perfect situation) is being played live by the man himself
In the next song, the man says "When I Get This Close To You" it makes him want to change his mind about leaving. Everyday used to be like a honeymoon, but now the honeymoon is over and he doesn't know if the relationship should last. "We used to work it out without trying to." Just when he's packing his bags, she puts her arms around him as if she knows of his plans. Wonderful lyrics and performance on this slow-tempo song.
There are almost too many songs on this album that would sound so good on the radio. "If The Devil Brought You Roses" is only one of them and reminds me a lot of Mark's previous hits. It would definitely please older fans and gain him some newer ones. More songs like this receiving airplay would make a lot of people happy. It could be part of the cure for what seems lacking in recent times.
"Long Way To Go" has that outlaw kind of sound, which is appropriate for telling the story of meeting Waylon Jennings and getting his words of wisdom pertaining to a music career ("The big wheels will drive you crazy and the highway will make you do things you never would").
From that meeting back in 1979, to the beginning days of Mark's career in Beaumont, Tx and all the way to the national exposure he gets in 2008, it's been a long road for him. Tough at times, but the crowd is what makes him keep going on down that long road. On the other side of things, with an album like this he won't ever have to worry about losing his devoted fans.
Release date: June 24, 2008 - Lofton Creek
Track List:
- Things To Do In Wichita
- When You Love Her Like Crazy
- Rollin' With the Flow
- Going On Later On
- Live To Be 100
- When I Get This Close To You
- (Come On In) the Whiskey's Fine
- If the Devil Brought You Roses
- Woman
- Man In the Miirror
- Long Way To Go
- She Never Got Me Over You