CD Reviews- Chris Young- The Man I Want To Be

The Background:
With an ear toward the past and an eye on the future, Chris Young is quickly distinguishing himself as a newcomer who honors Country music's best traditions while adding a fresh new chapter to the genre's legacy. With his rich, warm baritone and penchant for writing relatable, slice-of-life songs, Young's sophomore project showcases a new traditionalist poised to take his place among his musical heroes.The new album features the Billboard number one single 'Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)'.

The Review:
Some things aren’t fair. With a deep baritone that already melts women’s hearts, Chris Young has also been given distinctions of “most handsome in country music”- or some variation of that- by People Magazine and Country Weekly Magazine. At our own Golf & Guitars concert in May, his strong and sensual voice was a huge hit with all the ladies. Me? I’m jealous of his fantastic songwriting. The Man I Want To Be has six outstanding tracks in the heart of the album that make this new project very strong. “Voices” is a medium uptempo recollection of how those lessons we were taught in our youth keep us on the straight and narrow. It’s warm and sentimental without being too sappy. “The Dashboard” reminds of Dean Brody’s “Brothers” and is a story about siblings trading off keys of an old pick-up before one flies off overseas as a marine. And where it would be easy to pull at heartstrings to end the song with the loss of the brother, Young instead pulls a off a more difficult, yet just as sentimental trick by celebrating the relationship by giving the keys back upon his return. “It Takes A Man,” with a great trailing dobro throughout the song, is an amazing three-minute plus emotional journey of a 30 second scene of a girl sharing her unplanned pregnancy with her boyfriend. Every second counts in this song including the broken bridge and empty lines as the protagonist takes her hand when he can’t get any words out. It’s the stand-out track on the album and extremely touching. “The Shoebox” celebrates the little moments and memories in life that again, walks that sentimental line perfectly without getting to syrupy. It also has some of the best mandolin work on the album. “Rose In Paradise” is another fantastic story song duet with Willie Nelson about an old man with “fire in his eyes” that may or may not have killed his wife in a jealous rage- only the rose in his garden knows the true story. Willie again proves his skill as one of the best storytellers in the music business. Young missteps a bit on some on an uptempo like “Twenty One Candles” but his deep voice is built for the slow ballads- naturally those are probably going to be the strengths and are. Overall, this is a terrific sophomore effort and an album that proves Young has the mettle to be around for awhile.

Sounds Like:
Joe Nichols & Josh Turner

Track Highlights (suggested iPod adds):
Getting’ You Home (The Black Dress Song)
Voices
The Dashboard
It Takes A Man
The Shoebox
Rose In Paradise

The Verdict:
Four Stars Out Of Five