Customer Reviews

Hemingway's Whiskey (Deluxe Edition CD/DVD)

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Kenny Chesney is cheery, fun, and polished as brash on "Hemingway's Whiskey."

By now his decidedly laid-back, beach bum, everyman persona has so cemented itself into public consciousness that it's sometimes difficult to figure out whether he's intentionally singing songs that cater to that image or vice/versa.

Fortunately, that matters little when the song selections are generally solid and Chesney in fine voice, displaying great, fun-loving enthusiasm and charismatically pumping life into material that would sound mediocre in the hands of a lesser talent.
He sounds recharged after taking time off the road, even though he only contributes one tune - the fun but unremarkable "Reality," a slightly overproduced but otherwise fine swashbuckler.

A great addition to the record is a larger than usual helping of slower, more thoughtful tunes. "Where I Grew Up," for one, is a coming-of-age tale that asks the perennial question - where did all the time go? - with cool, matter-of-fact elegance. Chesney avoids sap and cliche with his rich, heartfelt reading of the lyrics. As he does with the majority of the tracks here, he gives it sincerity and punch.

The ponderous, absolutely gorgeous "You and Tequila," a duet with the greatly talented Grace Potter, has major hit potential with its theme of near-torturous passion. Their voices mix together in a match that is heaven-made and endlessly listenable. Their inspired delivery gives the song a burnished ache.

Louder, amped up songs balance out the slower material. "Coastal" has some corny lyrics, but Chesney manages to infect the song with his platinum-selling charm. The same goes for the take-no-prisoners "Live a Little," which moves unstoppably with heavy electric guitars upfront in the mix. "The Boys of Fall," the album's lead single (his latest #1 country hit, #18 pop), boasts some of Chesney's best vocals of his career with a solid, catchy melody.

"Small, Y'all," a duet with George Jones, while not one of the best tunes on the album, is notable as a duet between these two formidable figures in country music. The elegiac, restrained title track provides a smooth finish.

"Hemingway's Whiskey" is a fast-moving collection of tunes that Chesney's core fan base will certainly enjoy. He has never been one for serious country, and this record is no different, but it has more than enough catchy melodies and impassioned crooning to earn its place on the shelf.

I bought the deluxe edition today at Target after school. It's really hard for me to choose which is my favorite song because they're all amazing. This is his more "mature" album in my opinion, some of them hit close to home.

"Coastal" is a really great and catchy, up-beat song.

"You and Tequila" is one of my favorites, the rhythym of the song is so soothing, and the duet with Grace Potter is amazing.

"Hemingway's Whiskey" is another smooth song, it kind of reminds me of "Something Sexy About The Rain."

"I Didn't Get Here Alone" brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it. I've been a fan of Kenny's since I was 12 years old, and I will be turning 18 this Saturday. It really hit me, and it just made me that much more grateful for Kenny and his music.

I chose to buy Kenny's album over a WWE movie... now that's saying alot. Hope you all enjoy the album as much as I am. :)

I have never listened to Kenny Chesney before as his music is not generally played on the stations I listen to. One day, however, I happened to catch Somewhere with You on the radio and I really liked it; in fact so much that I ordered the CD. Much to my delight, I'm enjoying all the songs on the CD and Kenny has a new fan!

I am a big fan of Kenny Chesney personally, However his last few albums I wasnt overly impressed this one I thought was much much better, it starts off with his first single off the album "the boys of fall" which is an excellent song, and has some more classic rock influenced songs on there such as one of my favorite tracks "Live a little", and a few other very catchy songs like "Somewhere with you" I think the album is worth purchasing, however not sure if the deluxe edition is worth it. The DVD that comes with it has nothing special on it, and the CD has 4 bonus tracks on it.

I like the CD but I still find his island infused albums more interesting. I loved Lucky Old Sun. This reminds me more of Poets and Pirates, but with even less island. My favorite two songs are Hemingway's Whiskey and the Boys of Fall.

Great cd by a favorite artist. Shows a little more variety than his typical beach and having fun songs. More depth, intersting choices, a great purchase. Don't miss it!

Although I was very disappointed when I found out Kenny Chesney wouldn't be touring summer 2010, this CD made it worthwhile.

Boys of Fall has been playing a while on the radio and is a great song for those familiar with football each fall. "Live a Little" is a classic Kenny concert song that I can't wait to hear live. "Seven Days" is my personal favorite on the CD as Kenny seems to sing it with a lot of passion. I really enjoy "Coastal", "Where I Grew Up", "Reality", "Round and Round", and "Somewhere with You" are also songs that I really enjoy.

The only negative I found with the CD was the 2 bonus tracks on the Deluxe Edition didn't really add much to the album in my opinion.

Just downloaded Kenny Chesney's new CD, "Hemingway's Whiskey." Have done a quick first pass and have to say this one is good.

"Boys of Fall" will probably get the most air time, but for my money, "Where I Grew Up," written by Ashley Gorley, Kelley Lovelace and Neil Thrasher and the title cut, written by Guy Clark, are the best.

My 30-year old son called me from Knoxville just now and said "Where I Grew Up" was playing on the radio as he was driving. He admitted having to pull over when he heard it. It moved him that much. I'm happy the boy got my music gene.

My eyes leaked, too, when I heard it the first time.

"Small Ya'll" is a cute duet with George Jones. It was written by Bobby Braddock.

"Somewhere with You," by J.T. Harding and Shane McAnally is a great breakup song. The upbeat tempo belies a broken heart, but the lyrics sure pour out the misery of good love gone bad.

"Hemingway's Whiskey" sounds good here. Glad Chesney picked it. There's nothing much in the world that beats a Guy Clark song.

Kenny Chesney is pretty lazy when it comes to his albums lately. His writers are great and the songs are good but I miss the days when Kenny wrote his own music and lyrics. To me, that is when artists really shine and give their fans something special. Hemingway's Whiskey is a collection of good songs that are worth a listen but unfortunately, this CD is not always in my player due to some better country that has been released around the same time. Good for fans but not his best work.

Prime Cuts: Hemingway's Whiskey, The Boys of Fall, Round and Round

Like a shaken snow ball, Chesney's "Hemingway's Whiskey" presents flurries of fresh and thought provoking ideas. But after they have settled, a beautiful landscape of unforgettable melodies and heart-tugging tunes surfaces. Not since 1994's "Tin Man" has Chesney waxes such eloquence in the department of the heart. This truly is a mature record that is also unmistakably Chesney's best in a long while. Perhaps this is due to the fact that this record was made when Chesney took a hiatus from touring. With more time invested into the making of this record, the prodigious dividends are definitely apparent. Also, Chesney has wisely not fallen into the dire temptation of many country artist today, this time Chesney has only co-written one cut ("Reality") with the rest coming from a red carpet of Nashville's best including Paul Overstreet, Matraca Berg, Deana Carter, David Lee Murphy, Neil Thrasher and even Guy Clark.

Most impressive are the songs that make a home run for the heart. Lead single "The Boys of Fall" may be a story about a football player but underneath the innocuous story are lessons about brotherhood, friendship and faith. "The Boys of Fall" has such vivid and descriptive lyrics that it ought to resound with anyone who has live through high school football before. Co-written by Lee Brice "Seven Days a Thousand Times" is one of those songs that will haunt you with bittersweet memories long after the song has ended. A laid back guitar driven ballad "Seven Days" tells of how a short term romance stayed in the heart of the protagonist for years and years to come. "Where I Grew Up," on the hand, is Chesney's nod back to his roots. Lyrically it may not chart any new tuff. Nevertheless, thumbs are up for Chesney's believable rendition.

Paul Overstreet, who co-wrote Chesney's signature hit "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy," wets his pen again with "Round and Round." Packed with an inspirational message to enjoy each moment we have, "Round and Round" with its punchy pop melody has much to say to all of us who are getting complacent with life. Just like he has done on his previous albums before, Chesney has taken a look back in tackling three cover songs. There's much to rejoice with Chesney's take of Randy Travis and George Jones' "Small Y'all." "Small Y'all" harkens us back to the Pre-Millennium Chesney on this melodious and yet humorous ode to domestic disharmony. "You and Tequila" which first appears on Deana Carter's "I'm Just a Girl" CD is perhaps the darkest entry here made even more haunting by the harmony vocals of rocker Grace Porter. The last cover is a gorgeous take of Guy Clark "Hemingway's Whiskey." "Hemingway" is a gentle ballad that guises layers of frustrations about the deliberating muse that has often plagued writers.

Nevertheless, a couple of tracks fail to past muster: "Live a Little" is a purely aimed at radio with its upbeat wall of noise production. While Chesney's own "Reality" which speaks about is escapism is tad on the "I heard it all before" side. Regardless, "Hemingway's Whiskey" is not a record that you just can get through with one listen. Rather, the sentiments, the messages, the tunes will shake us up to re-evaluate our priorities and after which it will leave us with a beautiful landscape that will make us come back to appreciate it again and again.