Kenny Chesney - I Will Stand

Building upon the bright, cheerful punch of Me and You, Kenny Chesney widened his musical vision on his fourth album, 1997's I Will Stand. This is partially due to his own pen -- he has two songwriting credits here and none on the predecessor -- but it's more down to the music he's chosen to sing and the persona he conveys here. He's relaxed, friendly, and assured, never trying too hard, which gently draws listeners in on both his ballads and rockers -- and, what is turning increasingly into his specialty, the sunny midtempo tunes, equally suited for the beach or the bar. This is typified by the breezy "She Gets That Way" and the hazy '70s soft rock vibe of his co-written original "You Win, I Win, We Lose," and even the snappier songs (such as "She's Got It All" and "Steamy Windows") don't push too hard -- which is fine, because the slower songs don't get mired in sappy sentiment, as "That's Why I'm Here" makes clear. It never sounds like Chesney would belong to either the hillbilly heaven or honky tonk hell that he sings about on the purest country song here -- the one that also features verses by Tracy Lawrence and George Jones -- but that's the appeal of Kenny Chesney: he doesn't live in the past, but he doesn't disrespect it, either. He's merely in the present, trading upon modern sounds and the tunes that he grew up with, making contemporary country that feels country in how he mixes up country-rock, soft rock, and pop, and it's down so casually that it's easy to take for granted how good he is on this record, the first that really brought his star persona to the forefront. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Al Grassmick Assistant Engineer Amy Hughes Assistant Engineer Biff Watson Guitar (Acoustic) Billy Sherrill Engineer, Mixing Brad Kinney Assistant Engineer Brent Mason Guitar (Electric) Buddy Cannon Producer Cindy Walker Vocals (Background) Curtis Young Vocals (Background) Dennis Wilson Vocals (Background) Denny Purcell Mastering Derek Bason Mixing Assistant Eddie Bayers Drums Farrell Morris Percussion George Jones Performer Glen Duncan Mandolin, Fiddle Grahame Smith Assistant Engineer, Editing John Wesley Ryles Vocals (Background) Julie Wanca Design Kenny Bell Guitar (Acoustic) Kenny Chesney Liner Notes Kevin Beamish Mixing Kirk Johnson Harmonica Larry Byrom Guitar (Acoustic) Larry Paxton Bass Lonnie Wilson Drums Matt Rollings Piano, Organ (Hammond) Melonie Cannon Vocals (Background) Norro Wilson Percussion, Producer Pete Wade Gut String Guitar Peter Nash Photography Randy Howard Fiddle Reggie Young Guitar (Electric) Rob Hajacos Fiddle Rodger Morris Synthesizer, Piano Roy M. "Junior" Husky Bass (Upright) Shannon Brown Vocals (Background) Sonny Garrish Pedal Steel, Dobro Steve Gibson Guitar (Electric) Steve Nathan Vibraphone, Synthesizer Susan Eaddy Art Direction Thomas "Snake" Johnson Mixing Assistant, Assistant Engineer Tracy Lawrence Performer William Osment Fiddle