Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates

{{Infobox album

| name = Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates

| type = studio

| artist = Kenny Chesney

| cover = Poetsandpirates.jpg

| alt =

| released = {{Start date|2007|09|11}}

| recorded = 2007

| venue =

| studio = *Blackbird (Nashville, Tennessee)

Emerald Sound (Nashville, Tennessee)
Keith Harter Music (San Antonio, Texas)
Love Shack (Nashville, Tennessee)
Masterfonics (Nashville, Tennessee)
Studio Without Walls (Los Angeles, California)
Sound Emporium (Nashville, Tennessee)
Westwood (Nashville, Tennessee)

| genre = Country

| length = 48:43

| label = BNA

| producer = Buddy Cannon and Kenny Chesney (all tracks)
Joe Walsh ("Wild Ride" only)

| prev_title = Live: Live Those Songs Again

| prev_year = 2006

| next_title = Super Hits

| next_year = 2007

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates

| type = studio

| single1 = Never Wanted Nothing More

| single1date = June 12, 2007

| single2 = Don't Blink

| single2date = September 10, 2007

| single3 = Shiftwork

| single3date = December 10, 2007

| single4 = Better as a Memory

| single4date = March 31, 2008

}}

{{Album ratings

| MC = (70/100){{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/just-who-i-am-poets-pirates/kenny-chesney/critic-reviews|title=Critic Reviews for Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates|work=Metacritic|access-date=April 10, 2013}}

| rev1 = Allmusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1185082|pure_url=yes}}|title=Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates - Kenny Chesney|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|work=Allmusic|access-date=July 16, 2011}}

| rev2 = The A.V. Club

| rev2Score = B−{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/articles/kenny-chesney-just-who-i-am-poets-pirates,7500/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100116052146/http://www.avclub.com/articles/kenny-chesney-just-who-i-am-poets-pirates,7500/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 16, 2010|title=Kenny Chesney: Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates|last=Battaglia|first=Andy|work=The A.V. Club|access-date=April 10, 2013|date=October 9, 2007}}

| rev3 = Billboard

| rev3Score = (favorable){{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/content_display/reviews/albums/e3ibe8ec7c980d6765c77c207f3a0904c07 |title=Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates |last=Tucker |first=Ken |magazine=Billboard |access-date=April 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071122175942/http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/content_display/reviews/albums/e3ibe8ec7c980d6765c77c207f3a0904c07 |archive-date=November 22, 2007 |url-status=dead }}

| rev4 = Blender

| rev4Score = {{Rating|3|5}}

| rev5 = The Boston Globe

| rev5Score = (favorable){{cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/ae/music/cd_reviews/articles/2007/09/11/the_many_hats_of_kenny_chesney/|title=The many hats of Kenny Chesney|last=Rodman|first=Sarah|work=The Boston Globe|access-date=April 10, 2013|date=September 11, 2007}}

| rev6 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev6Score = B{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20054166,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070903154457/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20054166,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 3, 2007|title=Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates Review|last=Pastorek|first=Whitney|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=July 16, 2011|date=August 31, 2007}}

| rev7 = Los Angeles Times

| rev7Score = {{Rating|2.5|4}}{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-sep-22-et-albums22.s1-story.html|title=Chesney reveals 'Who I Am' in the words of others|last=Lewis|first=Randy|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=April 10, 2013|date=September 22, 2007}}

| rev8 = The New York Times

| rev8Score = (favorable){{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/arts/music/11ches.html?_r=0|title=The King of Country Casual, Back Again|last=Sanneh|first=Kelefa|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 10, 2013|date=September 11, 2007}}

| rev9 = PopMatters

| rev9Score = {{Rating|7|10}}{{cite web|url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/kenny-chesney-just-who-i-am-poets-and-pirates/|title=Kenny Chesney: Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates|last=Timmermann|first=Josh|work=PopMatters|access-date=April 10, 2013|date=September 12, 2007}}

| rev10 = Rolling Stone

| rev10Score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/just-who-i-am-poets-pirates-20070905|title=Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=April 10, 2013|date=September 5, 2007}}

| noprose = yes

}}

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 album 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 Chesney’s second album where he was not a writer or co-writer on any of the tracks, the first being 1996's Me and You.

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. The song "Wild Ride", a duet with Joe Walsh, was 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."

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.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/482560/justin-bieber-kenny-chesney-fiona-apple-lead-billboard-200-debuts|title=Justin Bieber, Kenny Chesney, Fiona Apple Lead Billboard 200 Debuts|magazine=Billboard}} The album had the best weekly sales of any country album since the Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way in May 2006Katie Hasty, [http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1049173/album-sales-down-9-despite-huge-kanye-50-tallies "Album Sales Down 9% Despite Huge Kanye, 50 Tallies"], Billboard.com, September 19, 2007. As of August 2008, the album has sold 1.4 million copies in the United States.Cohen, Jonathan. [http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1044387/kenny-chesneys-sun-to-shine-this-fall "Kenny Chesney's 'Sun' To Shine This Fall"]. Billboard. August 21, 2008. 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=kenny+chesney&ti=&lab=&genre=&format=&date_option=release&from=&to=&award=&type=&category=&adv=SEARCH#search_section|title = Gold & Platinum|website = Recording Industry Association of America}}

Track listing

{{tracklist

| title1 = Never Wanted Nothing More

| writer1 = {{hlist|Ronnie Bowman|Chris Stapleton}}

| length1 = 3:29

| title2 = Don't Blink

| writer2 = {{hlist|Casey Beathard|Chris Wallin}}

| length2 = 4:46

| title3 = Shiftwork

| note3 = duet with George Strait

| writer3 = Troy Jones

| length3 = 4:29

| title4 = Just Not Today

| writer4 = David Lee Murphy

| length4 = 4:05

| title5 = Wife and Kids

| writer5 = {{hlist|Jim Collins|Brett James}}

| length5 = 4:23

| title6 = Got a Little Crazy

| writer6 = {{hlist|Wallin|Craig Monday}}

| length6 = 4:03

| title7 = Better as a Memory

| writer7 = {{hlist|Scooter Carusoe|Lady Goodman}}

| length7 = 4:12

| title8 = Dancin' for the Groceries

| writer8 = {{hlist|James|Don Schlitz}}

| length8 = 5:11

| title9 = Wild Ride

| note9 = featuring Joe Walsh

| writer9 = Dwight Yoakam

| length9 = 4:20

| title10 = Scare Me

| writer10 = {{hlist|Wendell Mobley|Joe Don Rooney|Neil Thrasher}}

| length10 = 4:14

| title11 = Demons

| writer11 = {{hlist|Bill Anderson|Jon Randall}}

| length11 = 5:31

| total_length = 48:43

}}

Personnel

As listed in liner notes.{{cite AV media notes |title=Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates |others=Kenny Chesney |year=2007 |publisher=BNA Records |id=88697-11457-2}}

Wyatt Beard – background vocals
William F. Bowman – acoustic guitar
Bekka Bramlett – background vocals
Mat Britain – steel drums
Pat Buchanan – electric guitar
Buddy Cannon – background vocals
Melonie Cannon – background vocals
Kenny Chesney – lead vocals
Jeff Coffin – tenor saxophone
Eric Darken – percussion
Dan Dugmore – steel guitar
Chris Dunn – trombone
Sonny Garrish – steel guitar, Dobro
Vince Gill – electric guitar
Kenny Greenberg – electric guitar
Rob Hajacos – fiddle
Tim Hensley – background vocals
Steve Herman – trumpet
John Hobbs – piano, keyboards
Jim Horn – baritone saxophone
Paul Leim – drums, percussion
Randy McCormick – Hammond B-3 organ, piano, keyboards, synthesizer, Wurlitzer
Jonell Mosser – background vocals
Larry Paxton – bass guitar, upright bass
Gary Prim – Hammond B-3 organ, piano, keyboards
Jon Randall – background vocals
Mickey Raphael – harmonica
Chris Stapleton – acoustic guitar
George Strait – duet vocals on "Shiftwork"
Scott Vestal – banjo
Joe Walsh – electric guitar and talk box on "Wild Ride"
Quentin Ware, Jr. – trumpet
John Willis – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, talk box guitar, gut string guitar
Andrea Zonn – background vocals

Charts

=Weekly charts=

scope="col"\| Chart (2007) ! scope="col"\| Peak position
class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
{{album chart\|BillboardCanada\|7\|artist=Kenny Chesney\|rowheader=true\|access-date=November 30, 2020}}
{{album chart\|Billboard200\|3\|artist=Kenny Chesney\|rowheader=true\|access-date=November 30, 2020}}
{{album chart\|BillboardCountry\|1\|artist=Kenny Chesney\|rowheader=true\|access-date=November 30, 2020}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"\| Chart (2007) ! scope="col"\| Position
scope="row"\| US Billboard 200{{cite magazine\|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2007/top-billboard-200-albums\|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2007\|magazine=Billboard\|access-date=November 30, 2020}} \| 61
scope="row"\| US Top Country Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine\|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2007/top-country-albums\|title=Top Country Albums – Year-End 2007\|magazine=Billboard\|access-date=November 30, 2020}} \| 12
scope="col"\| Chart (2008) ! scope="col"\| Position
scope="row"\| US Billboard 200{{cite magazine\|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2008/top-billboard-200-albums\|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2008\|magazine=Billboard\|access-date=November 30, 2020}} \| 49
scope="row"\| US Top Country Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine\|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2008/top-country-albums\|title=Top Country Albums – Year-End 2008\|magazine=Billboard\|access-date=November 30, 2020}} \| 9

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

scope="col"| Chart (2007)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| US Billboard 200{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2007/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2007|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 30, 2020}}

| 61

scope="row"| US Top Country Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2007/top-country-albums|title=Top Country Albums – Year-End 2007|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 30, 2020}}

| 12

scope="col"| Chart (2008)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| US Billboard 200{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2008/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2008|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 30, 2020}}

| 49

scope="row"| US Top Country Albums (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2008/top-country-albums|title=Top Country Albums – Year-End 2008|magazine=Billboard|access-date=November 30, 2020}}

| 9

=Singles=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan=2\| Year ! rowspan=2\| Single ! colspan=5\| Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2" style"width:8em;"\| Certifications (sales threshold)
style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="45"\| US Country {{cite magazine\|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kenny-chesney/chart-history/csi/\|title=Kenny Chesney Chart History – Country Songs\|magazine=Billboard\|access-date=March 3, 2020}} ! width="45"\| US {{cite magazine\|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kenny-chesney/chart-history/hsi/\|title=Kenny Chesney Chart History – Hot 100\|magazine=Billboard\|access-date=March 3, 2020}} ! width="45"\| US Pop ! width="45"\| CAN Country {{cite magazine\|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kenny-chesney/chart-history/ccw/\|title=Kenny Chesney Chart History – Canada Country\|magazine=Billboard\|access-date=March 3, 2020}} ! width="45"\| CAN {{cite magazine\|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kenny-chesney/chart-history/can/\|title=Kenny Chesney Chart History: Canadian Hot 100\|magazine=Billboard\|access-date=March 3, 2020}}
rowspan=3\| 2007 \| align="left"\| "Never Wanted Nothing More" \| 1 \| 22 \| 34 \| 1 \| 49 \| * US: Gold{{Certification Cite Ref\|region=United States\|type=single\|title=Never Wanted Nothing More\|artist=Kenny Chesney}}
align="left"\| "Don't Blink" \| 1 \| 29 \| 47 \| 1 \| 45 \| * US: Platinum{{Certification Cite Ref\|region=United States\|type=single\|title=Don%27t Blink\|artist=Kenny Chesney}}
align="left"\| "Shiftwork" {{small\|(featuring George Strait)}} \| 2 \| 47 \| — \| 2 \| 61 \|
2008 \| align="left"\| "Better as a Memory" \| 1 \| 46 \| 100 \| 2 \| 61 \|
colspan=8 style="font-size:8pt"\| "—" denotes releases that did not chart.

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

rowspan=2| Year

! rowspan=2| Single

! colspan=5| Peak chart positions

! rowspan="2" style"width:8em;"| Certifications
(sales threshold)

style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="45"| US Country
{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kenny-chesney/chart-history/csi/|title=Kenny Chesney Chart History – Country Songs|magazine=Billboard|access-date=March 3, 2020}}

! width="45"| US
{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kenny-chesney/chart-history/hsi/|title=Kenny Chesney Chart History – Hot 100|magazine=Billboard|access-date=March 3, 2020}}

! width="45"| US
Pop

! width="45"| CAN Country
{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kenny-chesney/chart-history/ccw/|title=Kenny Chesney Chart History – Canada Country|magazine=Billboard|access-date=March 3, 2020}}

! width="45"| CAN
{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kenny-chesney/chart-history/can/|title=Kenny Chesney Chart History: Canadian Hot 100|magazine=Billboard|access-date=March 3, 2020}}

rowspan=3| 2007

| align="left"| "Never Wanted Nothing More"

| 1

| 22

| 34

| 1

| 49

| * US: Gold{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|type=single|title=Never Wanted Nothing More|artist=Kenny Chesney}}

align="left"| "Don't Blink"

| 1

| 29

| 47

| 1

| 45

| * US: Platinum{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|type=single|title=Don%27t Blink|artist=Kenny Chesney}}

align="left"| "Shiftwork" {{small|(featuring George Strait)}}

| 2

| 47

| —

| 2

| 61

2008

| align="left"| "Better as a Memory"

| 1

| 46

| 100

| 2

| 61

colspan=8 style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Certifications

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=Just Who I Am|artist=Kenny Chesney|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=2007|certyear=2022|access-date=November 18, 2022}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true|noshipments=true}}

References

External links

{{Metacritic album}}

Category:2007 albums

Category:BNA Records albums

Category:Kenny Chesney albums

Category:Albums produced by Buddy Cannon