What do we make of
Mark Chesnutt
's foray into crossover territory? The bulk of
I Don't Want to Miss a Thing
is smooth new
country
, retaining the elements of neo-traditionalism that characterize the best of
Chesnutt
's earlier albums. There's a nice mix of material, ranging from the tender
"Tonight I'll Let My Memories Take Me Home"
to the
honky tonk
of
"That's the Way You Make an Ex,"
which seems to be an homage to
George Strait
's
"All My Ex's Live in Texas."
There's also the witty
"My Way Back Home,"
the tale of a man who returns back to "home sweet mobile home" to find that his woman has left him, literally, homeless, and the vaguely Cajun
"Jolie."
If
ended there, this would be another good, but not necessarily great,
album. But overshadowing the other nine songs on the album is the title track.
"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"
was penned by
Diane Warren
, best known for writing hit
adult contemporary
ballads
for the likes of
Cher
and
Celine Dion
. The song's first appearance was on the
Armageddon
movie soundtrack, where it became a major hit for
Aerosmith
in 1998. While
's rendition was over the top,
tames the beast, even as the arrangement builds to a dangerously bombastic climax toward the end. On
"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing,"
proves he can sing
power ballads
with the best of them. But that one of the best
singers of his generation starts tackling this sort of material says a lot about the state of
traditional country
in Nashville, none of it good. ~ Martin Monkman