Rollin' with the Flow  (Audio CD) 
by Mark Chesnutt

Mark Chesnutt has been a fixture in Nashville since 1988. Two decades in which this charming guy from Beaumont, Texas has been able to shape the genre decisively. Not with fashions, hypes or the hippest styles, but rather with his warm voice and his honest, moving songs, which have their origins in the bars and honky-tonks. "Mark Chesnutt", raved George Jones when Chesnutt won the CMA Horizon Award in 1993 at the beginning of his matchless career, "is real and authentic". And the renowned American music critic Robert K. Oermann rejoiced: "When he suddenly popped up on the barren music landscape in 1990, I called him the 'Hillbilly messiah'. That hasn't changed at all". A messiah, whose words and melodies are heard by millions: 14 number one hits, 23 top ten singles, four platinum albums and five golden records make clear that this neo honky-tonker has advanced to become a classic of the genre; that he is not just emulating his personal heroes Hank Williams Sr., George Jones and Waylon Jennings, he is approaching them artistically album by album, tour by tour. With his newest work "Rollin' with the flow" this father of three sons adds to his legend -- with a CD which is of a piece. Nostalgic love songs such as "When you love her like crazy" and "When I get this close to you" alternate with snappy honky-tonks such as "Going on later on" and shirtsleeve country rock like "If the devil brought you roses". But regardless of whether dreamy harmony or rocking rhythm -- with his unmistakable voice, Mark Chesnutt makes each track his own, each cover version into his very personal story. Even with the title track, a classic from the repertoire of Charlie Rich. Naturally Mark Chesnutt also does not lock himself into the sound and song inspirations of the here and now on "Rollin' with the flow". Nevertheless, each of the twelve excellent tracks could date from the late 1980s or early 1990s. The magic word is "timeless quality" -- and at the same time this is the motto for "Rollin' with the flow". For fashions and hypes come and go -- but Mark Chesnutt and his music will remain, just like the songs of Hank, George and Waylon.