Currington’s songs get stamp of authenticity

June 23, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

When country-music singer Billy Currington is cutting an album in Nashville, the Georgia native admits he has a few people in his mind from back home in Savannah that represent a litmus test of authenticity. That is, will this song connect to regular folk?

“My niece is one of them,” said Currington, calling from Chicago. “She’s young and lives in the country. And then there’s my best friend there who still lives in the country. I always think about them, and sometimes I even send it to them. Not always, but sometimes.”

When looking over the track listing of Currington’s latest effort, “Enjoy Yourself,” it’s easy to peg which songs the singer had in mind for his kin. There’s the funny “Bad Day of Fishin,” which puts forth the proposition that a bad day of fishing beats a good day of anything else, and the canine love letter “Like My Dog.”

One track that Currington said his family and friends were definitely in his thoughts when he was picking tunes was “Pretty Good At Drinkin’ Beer,” which hit No. 1 last year on the country-music chart. It turns out the Music City singer actually heard it for the first time back in 2008 when he was looking for material for his 2008 album “Little Bit of Everything.” At that point, he cut songwriter Troy Jones’ other tune, “People Are Crazy.” Considering that song went to No. 1, Currington doesn’t have any regrets.

“I was lucky ‘Pretty Good At Drinkin’ Beer’ hung around, and I got to put it on my latest album,” Currington said. “I knew a lot of my buddies from back home would relate to it, the way I grew up being on a beach, having a beer here and there back up in the country. That was one of the main reasons I chose to record it. I really enjoyed putting out a song like that. It brought more people to the shows, and it’s more of a party. I’m not a big drinker, but I like to have a beer now and then, and it seems like everybody else does too. So you have to throw those in there now and again.”

Having fun is something Currington has been doing steadily since his 2003 self-titled debut. After nearly a decade in the Music City spotlight, the 37-year-old has sold millions of albums, scored 10 top-10 hits (including No. 1’s “Pretty Good At Drinkin’ Beer,” “That’s How Country Boys Roll,” “People Are Crazy,” “Don’t,” “Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right” and “Good Directions”) and toured with Brad Paisley, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood and Kenny Chesney.

In fact, Currington is touring again with the latter. The bill rolls into Northeast Ohio tonight for a show at Blossom Music Center.

Currington said among the many things he hopes to accomplish in his career, a large shed tour is one of them. He’s hoping a few more No. 1 singles will open that door. In the meantime, he’s just focused on playing music and having a good time with his audience.

When asked what he hopes comes to mind when fans think of Billy Currington, the easygoing singer said, “That’s simple, the beach. Just being laid back and playing some music that they enjoy.”

And what should one be drinking at Currington Beach?

“Man, whatever you want,” Currington said. “Whatever makes you happy, how about that?”