Building upon the bright, cheerful punch of Me and You, Kenny Chesney widened his musical vision on his fourth album, 1997's I Will Stand. This is partially due to his own pen -- he has two songwriting credits here and none on the predecessor -- but it's more down to the music he's chosen to sing and the persona he conveys here. He's relaxed, friendly, and assured, never trying too hard, which gently draws listeners in on both his ballads and rockers -- and, what is turning increasingly into his specialty, the sunny midtempo tunes, equally suited for the beach or the bar. This is typified by the breezy "She Gets That Way" and the hazy '70s soft rock vibe of his co-written original "You Win, I Win, We Lose," and even the snappier songs (such as "She's Got It All" and "Steamy Windows") don't push too hard -- which is fine, because the slower songs don't get mired in sappy sentiment, as "That's Why I'm Here" makes clear. It never sounds like Chesney would belong to either the hillbilly heaven or honky tonk hell that he sings about on the purest country song here -- the one that also features verses by Tracy Lawrence and George Jones -- but that's the appeal of Kenny Chesney: he doesn't live in the past, but he doesn't disrespect it, either. He's merely in the present, trading upon modern sounds and the tunes that he grew up with, making contemporary country that feels country in how he mixes up country-rock, soft rock, and pop, and it's down so casually that it's easy to take for granted how good he is on this record, the first that really brought his star persona to the forefront. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
George Jones (Performer), Tracy Lawrence (Performer), Matt Rollings (Piano), Matt Rollings (Organ (Hammond)), Steve Gibson (Guitar (Electric)), Glen Duncan (Fiddle), Glen Duncan (Mandolin), Cindy Walker (Vocals (Background)), John Wesley Ryles (Vocals (Background)), Derek Bason (Mixing Assistant), Eddie Bayers (Drums), Kevin Beamish (Mixing), Larry Byrom (Guitar (Acoustic)), Buddy Cannon (Producer), Melonie Cannon (Vocals (Background)), Kenny Chesney (Main Performer), Kenny Chesney (Liner Notes), Sonny Garrish (Dobro), Sonny Garrish (Pedal Steel), Rob Hajacos (Fiddle), Roy M. "Junior" Husky (Bass (Upright)), Kirk Johnson (Harmonica), Thomas "Snake" Johnson (Assistant Engineer), Thomas "Snake" Johnson (Mixing Assistant), Brent Mason (Guitar (Electric)), Farrell Morris (Percussion), Steve Nathan (Synthesizer), Steve Nathan (Vibraphone), Larry Paxton (Bass), Denny Purcell (Mastering), Pete Wade (Gut String Guitar), Biff Watson (Guitar (Acoustic)), Lonnie Wilson (Drums), Norro Wilson (Percussion), Norro Wilson (Producer), Curtis Young (Vocals (Background)), Reggie Young (Guitar (Electric)), Dennis Wilson (Vocals (Background)), Rodger Morris (Synthesizer), Rodger Morris (Piano), Peter Nash (Photography), Amy Hughes (Assistant Engineer), Julie Wanca (Design), Kenny Bell (Guitar (Acoustic)), Grahame Smith (Editing), Grahame Smith (Assistant Engineer), Randy Howard (Fiddle), Susan Eaddy (Art Direction), Brad Kinney (Assistant Engineer), Al Grassmick (Assistant Engineer), William Osment (Fiddle), Shannon Brown (Vocals (Background)), Billy Sherrill (Engineer), Billy Sherrill (Mixing)
I Will Stand is the fourth album of country music singer Kenny Chesney. It was released on July 15, 1997 on BNA Records. "She's Got It All" was the album's first single, as well as Chesney's first Number One single on the Billboard country music charts. "A Chance", "That's Why I'm Here" and "I Will Stand" were all released as singles as well, peaking at #11, #2, and #27, respectively, on the country charts. Also included is an acoustic rendition of Chesney's 1996 single "When I Close My Eyes". It is his first certified Gold album.
