Kenny Chesney No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems CD

Personnel includes: Kenny Chesney (vocals); B. James Lowry (electric & gut-string guitar); Mark Casstevens (electric guitar, ukulele); Brent Mason, Clayton Mitchell, Dale Oliver, Pt Buchanan, John Jorgenson, John Willis (electric guitar); Dan Dugmore, Sonny Garrish (steel guitar); Tim Hensley (banjo); Rob Hajacos, Larry Franklin, Glen Duncan, Nicholas Hoffman (fiddle);
Steve Nathan, Gary Prim, (piano); Larry Paxton, Michael Rhodes, Steve Marshall (bass); Paul Leim, Sean Paddock (drums); Melonie Cannon, Liana Manis, Wes Hightower, Chip Davis (background vocals).
Producers include: Norro Wilson, Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney.
Recorded at Emerald Sound Studios and Sound Stage Studios, Nashville, Tennessee. Includes liner notes by Kenny Chesney.
Personnel: B. James Lowry (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, gut-string guitar); Brent Mason (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Tim Hensley (acoustic guitar, banjo, background vocals); Larry Byrom (acoustic guitar); Mark Casstevens (electric guitar, ukulele); Dale Oliver, Clayton Mitchell, John Jorgenson, John Willis, Pat Buchanan (electric guitar); Dan Dugmore, Sonny Garrish (steel guitar); Nick Hoffman, Glen Duncan, Larry Franklin, Rob Hajacos (fiddle); Gary Prim, John Hobbs, Randy McCormick, Steve Nathan (piano, synthesizer); Wyatt Beard (piano, background vocals); Paul Leim (drums, tambourine, percussion); Sean Paddock (drums); Chip Davis, Chris Kartevold, Sunny Russ, Wes Hightower, Liana Manis, Melonie Cannon (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Jason Piske; Chris Scherbak; Eric Bickel; Kevin Beamish.
Recording information: Emerald Sound Studios, Nashville, TN; Seventeen Grand Studios, Nashville, TN; Sound Stage Studios, Nashville, TN; Soundshop Studios, Nashville, TN.
Editor: Chris Rowe.
Photographer: Peter Nash.
Kenny Chesney has a voice that'd be perfect for hard country, but he just doesn't have his heart in it. He likes the sweet melodies and smooth production that come with crossover country-pop, and while that may have been a frustration at one point, at least for those who consider pure country as the only guideline for quality in country, by his sixth album, 2002's No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems, he's landed upon an effortless blend of pop and twang, something that is undeniable in its crossover intentions but rather charming all the same. Perhaps Chesney relies a bit too much on ballads and mid-tempo numbers throughout this album, but even the sprightlier numbers here -- the terrific opener "Young," "Big Star" -- are not honky tonk ravers, but heartland-styled rockers that gently rock and keep the melody in the forefront. So, all of No Shoes flows smoothly, and little of it could be called pure country -- the most down-home thing about the entire enterprise is the rounded twang in his voice -- but as a mature, even-handed country-pop album, it doesn't get much better than this in 2002, since it's melodic, well produced, strong on solid material, and most of all, very well sung. It's one of the highlights in his catalog. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words. Take for example the photo from the inner booklet of NO SHOES, NO SHIRT, NO PROBLEMS that features contemporary country star Kenny Chesney resplendent in cowboy hat and tie-dye T-shirt emblazoned with a Beatles lyric. That one image tells you a lot about Chesney's music. Though he's got the requisite amount of twang a la his Nashville contemporaries, he has an undeniable pop-rock sensibility as well. You can hear it in everything from the classic pop "whoo-hooh" background vocals on the opening track "Young" to the crunchy guitars on "Live those Songs," which also happens to make reference to Creedence Clearwater Revival, Buddy Holly, and Otis Redding. For those who hadn't already gotten the crossover message, it's hammered home still further by an album-closing (if you don't count the bonus track) take on Bruce Springsteen's TUNNEL OF LOVE ballad "One