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"When the Sun Goes Down," Kenny Chesney (BNA)

No artist knows the power of keeping it slow and steady better than Kenny Chesney. Raised in Luttrell and Knox County, over the course of a decade Chesney has slowly risen from a dependable radio regular to one of the biggest stars in country music -- and one of the biggest in popular music, period.

He's done it by hard work and by recording music that knows how to kowtow to the expectations of pop-country radio while holding onto the heart of honky tonk and good songwriting. Novelties, such as "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy," have been tempered with rock-solid ballads, such as "That's Why I'm Here." Chesney's last disc, "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems," hit the mix just right. Chesney's song selection was smart and surprisingly mature.

Chesney's new disc, "When the Sun Goes Down," (which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and the Country Albums chart last week) continues to walk the fence, although it sounds more calculated and is less successful than its predecessor.

The disc's first hit single, "There Goes My Life," is an expertly written tearjerker about the unexpected rewards of fatherhood, while "I Go Back" and "Keg in the Closet" are just another couple of nostalgic looks at being young -- modern country's most overused subject. And "When the Sun Goes Down" (a duet with Uncle Kracker) is like a little piece of candy. It's instantly sweet and quickly forgotten.

Chesney continues to exhibit plenty of good ol' boy charm in his performance. He's one of commercial country's best. He's created a working formula. His next step should be to transcend it. Grade: * * *

"Act One," Continuum (Space Time)

Few artists manage to put a heavy dose of funk in jazz as well as Knoxville's Donald Brown. Maybe it's in the pianist's bass-playing past as a session and touring musician while living in Memphis.

Maybe it's a love of Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis and, possibly, Weather Report.

Yet, Brown and his regular collaborators are never obvious. Instead, these are tough jazz players who know enough to add subtle colors to the music.

Continuum is made up of Brown, sax players Gary Bartz and Jean Toussaint, trumpet/flugelhorn player Bill Mobley, bassist Essiet Essiet and drummer Billy Kilson and shines by way of the assemblage's musical depth. The players are smart enough to surprise and savvy enough not to speak above the heads of listeners.

In fact, the most welcome aspect of Coninuum's music is warmth. When the band swings into Brown's "The Vibe at Hub's Place" and Toussaint's "Heian Yondan," the music is so full of life you can't help but smile. Grade: * * * *

© 2004, Knoxville News Sentinel
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