Kenny Chesney released his 19th studio album, Here and Now, on May 1. Longtime collaborator Buddy Cannon co-produced the album, with additional production assistance from Ross Copperman.
The 12-song offering features tunes from some of the best songwriters in the business, including Shane McAnally, JT Harding, Josh Osborne, Scooter Carusoe, Tom Douglas and more.
âThis album, Here and Now, was a lot of fun to make because the songs were a lot of fun,â says Kenny. âThere was a lot of living in every one of these songs and when you can take a collection of music like this into the studio and do your best to wrap your arms around it, you know, the creative process is pretty fun.â
Much of the album was written and recorded over the last 18 months, including the title track, which is currently Top 10 on Billboardâs Country Airplay chart. Penned by Craig Wiseman, David Garcia and David Lee Murphy at a writing retreat Kenny set up in Malibu, the new tune beckons listeners to live in the present with a chorus that proclaims: âYou and me, ainât it good to be alive / Ainât no better place, ainât no better time / Than here and now.â
âWithin the creative process when you start to make a record, you think about yourself being up there on stage and what kind of energy you want, you know, because whatever you leave the studio with is what you have to play up on stage,â says Kenny. âAnd in my brain I kept hearing a melody and this urgency and the angst of a song like âHere and Now.â And Iâm telling you, I cannot wait to do this song live. And what a great sentiment, really. Because we all try to plan ahead or weâre all living in the past and itâs really hard to live in the moment and to live in the here and now. And in my opinion thereâs no other place that happens, for me anyway, and what a beautiful place for that to happen, than on stage in front of so many people thatâs living in the here and now with you.â
Listen to âHere and Nowâ below.
photo by Tammie Arroyo, AFF-USA.com