Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates

Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates is the eleventh studio album by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released on September 11, 2007 via BNA Records. The CD was leaked on the Internet on September 5, 2007. It produced four singles on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart between 2007 and 2008, three of which reached number one. The album also includes duets with George Strait and Joe Walsh. This is Kenny's only album where he didn't write or co-write any of the songs.

Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 11, 2007 (2007-09-11)
Recorded2007
GenreCountry
Length48:43
LabelBNA
ProducerBuddy Cannon and Kenny Chesney (all tracks)
Joe Walsh ("Wild Ride" only)
Kenny Chesney chronology
Live: Live Those Songs Again
(2006)
Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates
(2007)
Super Hits
(2007)
Singles from Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates
  1. "Never Wanted Nothing More"
    Released: June 12, 2007
  2. "Don't Blink"
    Released: September 10, 2007
  3. "Shiftwork"
    Released: December 10, 2007
  4. "Better as a Memory"
    Released: March 31, 2008
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(70/100)[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
The A.V. ClubB−[3]
Billboard(favorable)[4]
Blender[1]
The Boston Globe(favorable)[5]
Entertainment WeeklyB[6]
Los Angeles Times[1][7]
The New York Times(favorable)[8]
PopMatters[9]
Rolling Stone[10]

Content

The album's first two singles are "Never Wanted Nothing More" and "Don't Blink", which were officially released to country radio in June and September 2007. Both singles reached number one the Hot Country Songs charts in late 2007, as did "Better as a Memory" (the fourth and final single) in June 2008. "Shiftwork" is a duet with George Strait. It was released as the album's third single in December 2007. It peaked at number 2 in early 2008. Also included is "Wild Ride", a Joe Walsh duet, which is a cover of a song originally recorded by Dwight Yoakam on his 1993 album This Time.

Critical reception

The album represented a move by Chesney to a more gulf and western sound with a number of "breezy, steel-drum island songs."[2]

Commercial performance

Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 387,000 copies in first week.[11] The album had the best weekly sales of any country album since the Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way in May 2006[12] As of August 2008, the album has sold 1.4 million copies in the United States.[13] On December 10, 2007, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million copies in the United States.[14]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Never Wanted Nothing More"Ronnie Bowman, Chris Stapleton3:29
2."Don't Blink"Casey Beathard, Chris Wallin4:46
3."Shiftwork" (duet with George Strait)Troy Jones4:29
4."Just Not Today"David Lee Murphy4:05
5."Wife and Kids"Jim Collins, Brett James4:23
6."Got a Little Crazy"Craig Monday, Wallin4:03
7."Better as a Memory"Scooter Carusoe, Lady Goodman4:12
8."Dancin' for the Groceries"James, Don Schlitz5:11
9."Wild Ride" (featuring Joe Walsh)Dwight Yoakam4:20
10."Scare Me"Wendell Mobley, Joe Don Rooney, Neil Thrasher4:14
11."Demons"Bill Anderson, Jon Randall5:31
Total length:48:43

Personnel

As listed in liner notes.[15]

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[25] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. "Critic Reviews for Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates". Metacritic. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates - Kenny Chesney". Allmusic. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  3. Battaglia, Andy (October 9, 2007). "Kenny Chesney: Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  4. Tucker, Ken. "Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 22, 2007. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  5. Rodman, Sarah (September 11, 2007). "The many hats of Kenny Chesney". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  6. Pastorek, Whitney (August 31, 2007). "Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
  7. Lewis, Randy (September 22, 2007). "Chesney reveals 'Who I Am' in the words of others". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  8. Sanneh, Kelefa (September 11, 2007). "The King of Country Casual, Back Again". The New York Times. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  9. Timmermann, Josh (September 12, 2007). "Kenny Chesney: Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates". PopMatters. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  10. Sheffield, Rob (September 5, 2007). "Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  11. Katie Hasty, "Album Sales Down 9% Despite Huge Kanye, 50 Tallies", Billboard.com, September 19, 2007.
  12. Cohen, Jonathan. "Kenny Chesney's 'Sun' To Shine This Fall". Billboard. August 21, 2008.
  13. Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates (Media notes). Kenny Chesney. BNA Records. 2007. 88697-11457-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  14. "Kenny Chesney Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  15. "Kenny Chesney Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  16. "Kenny Chesney Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  17. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  18. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  19. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  20. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  21. "American single certifications – Kenny Chesney – Never Wanted Nothing More". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  22. "American single certifications – Kenny Chesney – Don%27t Blink". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  23. "American album certifications – Kenny Chesney – Just Who I Am". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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