No Shoes No Shirt No Problems (Bonus Track)

Audio CD

A megahit with young country fans, Kenny Chesney may seem like an accidental star, but he's succeeded largely by understanding what his following wants to hear. No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems taps directly into the squiggly vein that runs between adolescence and adulthood, when responsibilities call and Jimmy Buffett dreams beckon. As much a celebration of life as of youth itself, the album succeeds best when Chesney turns wistful and thought-provoking ("A Lot of Things Different," "Good Stuff") and makes firm decisions about what really matters in life. Sentimentality reigns supreme--you can already imagine a sea of flickering cigarette lighters when he does this material live--but as "Big Star," a song about a girl who wants to be just that, spells out, No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems is a solid affirmation to go for what you want in this silly ol' world. Chesney certainly has, and if this short, bald guy from tinytown, Tennessee, can catch a rainbow, the rest of us ought to take heart. --Alanna Nash