Lost in the Feeling
These days it seems superstars such asAlan Jacksonand any number of spunky newcomers get the lion's share of honky-tonk kudos. But no one deserves a Texas dancehall-style tip of the hat more than this perennially underappreciated East Texas honky-tonker. OnLost in the Feeling, Mark Chesnutt celebrates his 10th anniversary as a major-label recording artist with a gleaming, rock-solid song collection that balances tender string-colored country ballads ("Go Away," "Try Being Me," and the angst-ridden "Halfway Back to Birmingham") with uptempo tunes like the punchy "Fallin' Never Felt So Good" and the fatalistically comic "It Pays Big Money." Yet Chesnutt, as always, delivers a couple of left-field surprises. This time around it's a delightful R&B-flavored; tune called "Confessin' My Love" and a haunting, steamy revival ofGene Watson's 1975 hit, "Love in the Hot Afternoon." In the process he reminds us what a stalwart and welcome presence he's been on the country scene since the '90s.--Bob Allen