I Don't Want to Miss a Thing

Guaranteed to work or your money back - PLEASE NOTE ALL MONIES FROM THIS SALE GO TO A 501 (C)3 NO KILL ANIMAL SHELTER

It's no surprise, considering the crossover expectations that drive contemporary Nashville, that Mark Chesnutt might strike a couple of pop poses on his sixth album. What's more like a shock, coming from an East Texas twanger like Chesnutt, is that those pop moves would be so superior to the straight country that completes the disc. You know the drill: a couple of Cajun-spiced boot scooters, a Western swing number, some contemporary honky-tonk, all of which sound plenty hot but most of which are too lyrically clever and emotionally slight to make any lasting impression. The sweet pop chorus and soul-country groove of "This Heartache Never Sleeps," however, is another matter altogether. And the title cut--a swelling cover of the grateful and sincere Diane Warren-penned Aerosmith smash--provides Chesnutt the sort of vocal workout he hasn't allowed himself since he tackled "Who Will the Next Fool Be" on what remains his finest effort, 1992's Longnecks and Short Stories. --David Cantwell