Kenny Chesney

Kenny Chesney is billed as a country superstar, replete with cowboy hat, skintight Wranglers and hunky good looks, but he really longs to be the genre’s Jimmy Buffett. Chesney’s early efforts fit nicely into the Alan Jackson mold, but the former marketing student’s latter-day material is located smack-dab in the heart of Margaritaville. Once subtle island yearnings became overt with the release of last year’s All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan, the cover art of which featured the singer-songwriter chilling on the beach beneath a palm tree, sporting a Santa hat. Traditional country fans balked, but Chesney has taken the concept to the bank with the title track of his latest opus, When the Sun Goes Down, a duet with fellow middle-of-the-roader Uncle Kracker. Though Chesney’s music has almost nothing to do with country anymore, he has found a winning formula in searching for that elusive lost shaker of salt.