Jimmy Buffett goes for the gold

Songs from St. Somewhere

There is no denying that Jimmy Buffett has been an influence on a lot of modern country artists' music, most notably Zac Brown Band and Kenny Chesney. Buffett kicks off his new album, his first in years, with Somethin' About a Boat, a folky song with reggae rhythms that sounds like it would fit nicely on the next Chesney album. In addition to the island theme that inundates his music, Buffett also peppers his songs with his lighthearted sense of humor. Songs like Einstein Was a Surfer ...

Take the Weather With You

This really is a "Best Of" collection of Jimmy Buffett with the one small caveat being that all of the material is new. These 14 songs really do represent the best of what this artist can offer the listener, and the result is one of his strongest studio outings in many years. His strongest material has traditionally been the slice of life tunes to which many people can readily identify. Those songs are plentiful including his first single, "Bama Breeze," "the title cut ...

License to Chill

Inspiration sometimes comes from some mighty unusual places. Jimmy Buffett seems to have found his among the more familiar voices in country music. Not that Buffett and country are recent bedfellows. The journalism graduate had more than a few steel guitar flourishes on his early albums and many country stars have mentioned the Buffett lifestyle by name or open reference over the past few years. So a disc that about half solo Buffett and half collaborative efforts with country superstars not only ...