Single Review: ‘American Kids’ – Kenny Chesney
11 years ago Liv Carter Comments Off on Single Review: ‘American Kids’ – Kenny Chesney
Songwriters: Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Rodney Clawson
Kenny Chesney kicks off a new album era with a nostalgic summer single, ‘American Kids.’
If this song were a movie, it would be directed by John Hughes. The 80s references dominate the lyrics as Kenny reflects on growing up in the Ferris Bueller days. Luke Laird‘s gift for beats, Shane McAnally‘s talent with melody and wordplay, and Rodney Clawson‘s art of storytelling combine into a cleverly written and fresh-sounding song. Though it must be said that after the first few beats, you might expect to hear Sugarland‘s ‘Stuck Like Glue’ to continue.
Chesney’s spoken delivery in the verses doesn’t feel quite natural to him at times, and it’s not clear if he was drawing inspiration from Bob Dylan‘s ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues,’ or Billy Joel‘s ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire.’ His strength as a vocalist is shown in the chorus where he isn’t trying to impress, but simply tells a story.
‘American Kids’ might seem a little underwhelming to some in this current country music climate, but expect the handclaps and “hey, hey” to be drifting out of a lot of car windows this summer.
Liv Carter
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
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