Customer Reviews

Heard It in a Love Song

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I heard that Mark Chesnutt was finally back in studio working on an album I anxiously awaited its release and anticipated another excellent collection from the Boy from Beaumont. When the day finally came for release I was shocked to discover that virtually no retailer had stocked the album. When I asked about it I got blank looks from people. One even foolishly noted that Mark Chesnutt was a minor country performer. Weeks went by and no one, not Wal-Mart, not Target, not Best Buy--no one in my area--offered the album.

When I finally got my copy I wasn't disappointed. There was the familiar, smooth country voice and style that has made Chesnutt anything but a minor force in the world of country music. HEARD IT IN A LOVE SONG is nothing short of masterful and a must have and must hear for any country music aficionado. Good luck finding a copy, though. Better just start with Amazon.

THE HORSEMAN

If you've been waiting for some REAL country music, your CD has just arrived! Mark's never sounded better than he does on this new cd. The first single is off and running as the title track of the disc, the Marshall Tucker classic "Heard It In A Love Song". This is without a doubt one of the best versions I've heard of this great song. Other standouts are Mark's take on the George Jones under-rated song "A Day In The Life Of A Fool" and his cover of Tammy Wynette's "Apartment #9". Mark's latest cd will not let you down!

At last, another album from one of the most self-assured honky-tonkers going, his first since SAVIN' THE HONKY TONK in 2004. This isn't quite as good an album as that one, but immortal albums only come about once in a great while.

This album is basically a bunch of old songs (some hits, some not) that Mark wraps his vocal cords around. The title tune, "Heard It In A Love Song", is a lame Marshall Tucker tune to which Chesnutt to gives a superior rendering. I consider it the weakest song on the album but Chesnutt makes it quite enjoyable

There is a nice mix of uptempo ("That Good That Bad") and slow ballads which are Chestnutt's specialty. I really liked his takes on the old Haggard-penned Charley Pride hit "A Shoulder To Cry On", the Hag's own "Goodbye Comes Hard For Me". and Hank Sr''s "Lost Highway.

Proving himself to be a George Jones fan of the first order (they come from the same town), Chesnutt tackles the George Jones obscurity "A Day In The Life of A Fool" , a very minor hit, almost never covered, from the early 70s. Mark isn't a George Jones (no one is), but his version is quite good.

This is just short of being a five star effort - I'd give it 4 1/2 stars if allowed fractional ratings

This is a 10-song collection of classic country songs, The songs are not overproduced and a joy to listen to. They are what country should sound like.
Mark sings his heart out with honesty and sincerity. He doesn't copy the vocal styles of the original artist so he makes each song his own and really nails them, especially Hank Sr's "Lost Highway"

There are plenty of fiddles, steel, and dobros, at times the notes seem dance off of them. The drums are subdued and complement the music instead of drowning it out. There are waltzes, two steppers, ballads and real toe tappers. Mark is one of the most solid country artist around and this cd just continues to prove this. Mark is an underrated singer by miles and should be a major star.

The Most underrated man in cuontry.
A wonderful vocalist with great music played and sung well.
You can't beat this if you want hard core sound Texas country.

I love Mark Chesnutt... the tone of his voice is great - but this album is all baleful old boo-hoo songs. Not worth buying if you like fun songs such as "Bubba shot the jukebox" or "Going through the big D."

Blech.

No one sings a honky tonk song better than Mark Chesnutt, but this CD doesn't make the cut. It would have been hard for him to top "Savin' the Honky Tonks," and this album doesn't come close. First of all, why are there only ten songs? And of the ten, why are a few previously released material? There's no excuse for a CD like this--only 10 songs and some of them old material. Thank God Mark Chesnutt is singing good old-fashioned honky tonk again, because he's the best in the business, but I still find this CD disappointing. I also can't agree with reviewer T.Yap "thy5468"'s pomposity. Who is he or she trying to impress?

Prime Cuts: You Can't Find Any Kissers, That Good That Bad, Lost Highway

The messiah of the honky tonks is back. Set with an idée fixe to redeem country music from its rock/ pop infiltrations and to propitiate the county purists, Chesnutt was set on a mission to "save the honky tonks" (as per the title of his last CD). With this new effort, "Heard It in a Love Song," this Texan makes no detours or concessions. Rather, he has gone on to record an album of mostly de rigueur country covers: paeans associated with the unflinching pillars of the genre such as Tammy Wynette, Hank Williams Jr., Merle Haggard and George Jones. Of the eight covers, the majority are what Chesnutt calls "sleepers" such as they are lesser-known tunes associated with these greats. With the recent deluge of country covers, such a move of tackling the more obscure material certainly depreciates tedium and over familiarity. Stylistically, Chesnutt and producer Jimmie Ritchey (who also helmed newcomer Jake Owen's disc) have abided close to the originals with minor amendments to accommodate Chesnutt's vocal ranges and nuances. Most appealing though is Chesnutt's command of the material: after years of acquaintance with many of these songs, he sings as if he owns them, knowing deftly how to nuance his diction with emotions.

Of the covers, a country makeover is given to the title cut, an old Marshall Tucker Band classic, awash with a heavy swirl of steel guitars. While a stately amorous savoir dons Waylon Jennings' "Dreamin' My Dreams with You." Though sung at a key higher than Waylon's original, Chesnutt captures the romantic yet acerbic pathos of this ballad by knowing when to let loose and hold back. Also in the balladry mood is George Jones' "A Day in the Life of a Fool." Though it indulges too much in self-depreciation that it almost appears trite, Chesnutt redeems it from being far too lacerating. Thankfully resuscitated is Hank Williams' 1949 "Lost Highway"--a paradigmatic weeper of which many stone cold country ballads would pattern gets a sensitive read by Chesnutt. On the other hand, Hank Sr's son, Hank Williams Jr's composition "You Can't Find Any Kissers" is a delightful jovial romp. Not since his hit "Old Flames Have New Names" has Chesnutt sounded more alive. Of the couple of originals, "That Good That Bad" is a Cajun-type barnburner about not falling into the allure of a temptress. This track deserves to be a big hit in the luminary class of Chesnutt's no. 1 hit "Gonna Get a Life."

So, why isn't this a 5-star review? Despite being touted as new, this CD is more or less a patchwork of sorts. Of the 10 cuts, only a mere 6 tracks are newly recorded. The title cut as well as "Goodbye Comes Hard for Me" have appeared on compilation albums before. Similarly, Chesnutt's previously CD already contains the original version of "A Hard Secret to Keep." While "That Good That Bad" was a session outtake for his "Thank God for Believers" record. Whether or not it was lethargy or the lack of a disciplined supervision of a major label, "Heard It in a Love Song" as a collection of songs lacks the direction and drive Chesnutt used to put into his CDs. Sure, he may give a top-notched performance to these tunes, but the newly recorded songs are by far too few. Further, save for "That Good That Bad," none of these songs is latent with the propensity to propel Chesnutt back into the charts.

Despite the meagerness of tracks, one may say many things about Mark Chesnutt, but he will never be accused of professional karaoke. Rather, Chesnutt takes many of these chestnuts to a new level of freshness. With producer Jimmy Ritche's vibe-conscious sensibilities and the gift of Chesnutt's voice, they have given this passel of honky tonk tales a ringing echo that has the way of itching into our consciousness. Yes, the savior of the honky tonks has come, and with an album so good, he is here to stay.