(Vivaton Records) George Jones really said it all after hearing Savin' The Honky Tonk, "My Boy's back!" This is the one we've all been (im)patiently waiting for since about '94. Mark Chesnutt released his major label debut, Too Cold At Home, in 1990 and he was immediately heralded as possessing the finest stone country voice to come around in a long time- one in the league of George Jones. He hit the ground running, as 4 songs off his debut went on to become hits. He cemented his reputation as an authentic honky tonker of the first degree with songs that revolved around barrooms, heartache, drinkin', cheatin', lovin' and leavin'. Through his first 4 albums, things were going Mark's way as he scored hit after hit and there seemed no slowing him down. At least not until 'crossover-mania' once again struck Nashville, beginning with the overwhelming success of Garth Brooks. Soon all the major labels were focused on the 'crossover' hit and generic songs that would appeal to a younger and female pop oriented audience. Voices with a country twang, steel and fiddle driven honky tonk and songs about drinkin', cheatin' and tear-in-your-beer heartache became taboo. Labels strongly pushed their artists to record more generic, positive themed, pop oriented songs in their quest for crossover success. Those performers who resisted or couldn't be molded to conform, found themselves cut from radio play and left out in the cold. Some, like Mark, kept plugging away, trying to find a balance that still stayed true to their country roots, but the results were most often bland albums that fell far short of their earlier work. Although he continued to have hits, they became less frequent and Mark became increasingly frustrated and unhappy with the situation.

Mark had been moved over to Decca from MCA, when MCA resurrected the imprint. When merger-mania erupted, it resulted in restructuring and layoffs at the labels, Decca was again shuttered and instead of returning to MCA, he secured his release that cleared the way for a move to Sony, where he thought his chances of getting back to recording the kind of music he loved were better. Unfortunately, he found more of the same at Sony and after releasing one album for the label, he parted ways. However, by the end of his major label tenure, Mark had racked up 14 #1 hits, 23 top 10s, 4 platinum and 5 gold albums along the way. 

Mark continued to tour and it was on stage where he got to sing the music that was in his heart- the kind of songs he wanted to record but the major labels wouldn't let him. He started working on a project of honky tonk songs and began shopping it around. Enter Vivaton, an indie label, who made Mark an offer he found hard to refuse. They liked what they heard and told him if he signed with them, he had their blessing and backing to go ahead and make the kind of album he wanted to make. 

The result is Mark's lastest release, Savin' The Honky Tonk, 15 tracks of honky tonk heaven. Mark doesn't any waste time and cuts straight to the chase with the album's shuffling honky tonk opener, "Somebody Save The Honky Tonks." Mark co-wrote this song, part lament and part battle cry, after not only his own experience with seeing Nashville turn it's back on honky tonk music, but from touring, where he found himself becoming increasingly distressed to see so many places he'd once played, vanishing. It's a strong rallying call to save the music, save the honky tonks themselves and to save the vanishing honky tonk lifestyle.

After setting the bar that high for himself with the opening song, can Mark live up to it and prove his case on the rest of the album? The answer is a resounding YES! He's already taken the album's first single, a superb cover of the Kevin Fowler penned shuffling drinkin' song, "Lord Loves The Drinkin' Man" to the top of the charts. Mark also covers another Kevin Fowler song, one that he's long been doing in his live shows, "Beer, Bait & Ammo," and delivers a delightfully playful rendition of this tongue-in-cheek, politically incorrect redneck anthem. Already steadily climbing the charts is the album's second single, the rockin' ode to personal shortcomings, "I'm A Saint." 

Mark's catch-in-the-throat vocals effectively nail the swaying Hank Cochran-Red Lane-Vern Gosdin penned ballad, "Would These Arms Be In Your Way," with Lee Ann Womack contributing on background vocals and plenty of weeping fiddle and steel. A swinging cover of Roger Miller's "You Can't Do Me This Way" is a real standout, with Mark really cutting loose and turning in some strong, soulfully jazzy vocals. A dark, moody ballad about cheating, "A Hard Secret To Keep" is an absolute first-rate stunner. Honky tonk piano fills the shuffle "Don't Ruin It For The Rest Of Us," another album highlight. This one's a breezy, but bitingly humorous song about asking a friend to kindly not spoil everybody else's misery just because he fell in love and got happy. On "Since You Ain't Home," in top notch fashion, Mark brilliantly evokes George Jones in this standout tale of heartache. Done up as a pulsating roadhouse honky tonker, "My Best Drinkin' " is a classic, a song about how marital discord can drive a good man to drink and is an example of a drinkin' song at it's very best. "Then We Can All Go Home" is another terrific drowin'-your-sorrows shuffle. Mark offers up a pair of amusing two-steppers. "What Are We Doing In Love" is a look at an unlikely pairing, while the comical "Think Like A Woman" finds a guy trying to figure out just how to win one over. "Mama's House" is a pretty, poignant ballad that revolves around the strength and love of family. Mark closes the disc with a teaser verse of Billy Joe Shaver's "Honky Tonk Heroes," done up with a scratchy, old time record effect. A very appropriate ending that makes for a strong closing statement indeed, although given the strength of the rest of the album, a rendition of the entire song would have been more than welcome.

Savin' The Honky Tonk falls somewhere between Mark's early independent releases and his first few MCA major label releases. They've found a nice balance, it has the overall feel of those early recordings, the production is more polished, but not quite as polished as his MCA work, which gives it more of an authentic honky tonk sound. The other difference between this one and his MCA releases is that on this one, Mark sounds like he's genuinely enjoying himself and having fun. It's always a cause for celebration when a favorite son comes home. It's cause for an even bigger one when that favorite son finally gets fed up, bucks the system, does it his way and comes out the winner. With Savin' The Honky Tonk, Mark Chesnutt proves what we've already known all along- he's the real deal, possessing one of the greatest voices in modern country music and ultimately, we all win on this deal.                          

Standout Tracks: "Somebody Save The Honky Tonk," "The Lord Loves The Drinkin' Man," "Would These Arms Be In Your Way," "You Can't Do Me This Way," "A Hard Secret To Keep," "Don't Ruin It For The Rest Of Us," "Since You Ain't Home," "My Best Drinkin' " 

On The Net: www.markchesnutt.com  www.savinthehonkytonk.com

AnnMarie Harrington TakeCountryBack October 2004