On the country swing cut “That’s the Way You Make an Ex,” Chesnutt encourages listeners to improve their marriages by learning from his mistakes (“I don’t know how to keep a woman around, but I sure know how to run one off “). Tired of hearing his woman rehash the sordid details of a past romance, the artist pleads, “Let’s Talk About Our Love.” He also regrets leaving a love behind in order to chase a “crazy dream” (the Cajun-seasoned “Jolie”), and expresses a willingness to do whatever it takes to rebuild a romance (“I’ll Get You Back”). “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” is about a guy who would rather have insomnia than miss a single moment with the woman he loves. Other cuts relate the emotional pain of lost love without trying to drown it in alcohol (“Tonight I’ll Let My Memory Take Me Home,” “This Heartache Never Sleeps”).
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Past albums by this 1993 Horizon award-winner have prescribed a drink or two to ease life’s suffering. But this one avoids that tired country music convention good news for families. I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing is weighted with upbeat melodies, clever cautionary tales and pedal-steel memories of a simpler life.
