Music summons memories of “a pew, preacher and a choir,” as well as a departed friend (“I Go Back”). A hurting man refuses to flee a troubled marriage and cause others pain (“When I Think About Leaving”). A racist has a Damascus Road experience, proving that with prayer and “the grace of God,” “Some People Change.” On “There Goes My Life,” one dreamer’s course radically changes when an unplanned baby comes along, but that little girl becomes his everything (the song ends with Dad’s tearful farewell as she leaves for college). An exhausted career woman finds respite in her man’s arms (“The Woman With You”). On “Old Blue Chair,” a man prone to inebriation recalls praying “many times for forgiveness and a brand-new start.” Unfortunately …
Fewer cuts repent of too much alcohol than revel in it. Chesney reflects on college, which consisted of girls, cold pizza and a “Keg in the Closet” (even a dog drinks beer). The simile “Being Drunk’s a Lot Like Loving You” reeks of intoxication. Uncle Kracker appears on the title track, a tribute to hard-partying island nights with a “cold drink chilling in my right hand” and mornings of “sleeping off the night before.” A mild profanity (“h—”) mars two songs, including “There Goes My Life.” “Anything But Mine” implies a sexual relationship.
Alcohol confounds an otherwise outstanding album. Maybe next time Chesney will lay off the hard stuff and focus more on the good stuff.
