When Kenny Chesney started gearing up for his first new music in almost four years, the East Tennessee songwriter/superstar wanted to create a project that distilled all the facets of who he is musically. While making the final decisions about what tracks will make the cut, he realized what he does and shares with No Shoes Nation live is as much a piece of his music as anything.
“We decided to do something a little unorthodox, because as I’ve said with my live albums, there is no sweeter sound than hearing No Shoes Nation singing my songs,” Chesney offers. “We are going to create a special Tour Edition of BORN, which will have a few select cuts from 2018 before the world changed, in addition to the album that everyone else will be able to stream or buy in all the usual spaces.”
When BORN hits the streets on its March 29 street date, it will offer much of what’s made Chesney such a singular artist by drawing on high energy, good times, ruminations, ballads and truly unusual songs. But for fans who have bought tickets to this summer’s concerts, as well as members of Chesney’s fan club, there will be an email with a link to purchase BORN with three extra tracks.
There’s the high octane “Living In Fast Forward” recorded at Chesney’s record-setting Nashville Nissan Stadium show. In addition, the digital-only release includes two songs from Chicago’s Soldier Field: “Get Along” and the CMA Award-winning David Lee Murphy duet “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.”
The only country artist on Billboard’s Top 10 Touring Acts of the Last 25 Years for the last 15 years, the man the Wall Street Journal called “The King of the Road” brings the feel good and excitement of his stadium shows to his upcoming album. As he explains, “Those songs say so much about who we are, how we try to live and see the world. If I were going to put three songs that match up with everything that’s going to be on this album, these three tracks would be the ones. The road band was smoking, No Shoes Nation was all in – and those songs say so much.”
As “Take Her Home,” the lead track that celebrates taking a risk and finding your life, crests the Top 20, there’s plenty more good music to come. “Just To Say We Did” is another taste of the album. Savory and smart, the percolating midtempo leans in to that embrace-the-moment, take-the-chance reality that’s defined No Shoes Nation.
“What can I say? ‘Just To Say We Did’ sounds like me and my friends growing up, and so many people I’ve met along the way,” Chesney says. “It’s a song where whatever it is, why not? Get out there and live, shoot your shot, do that bucket list thing – just to say you did. When you can boil down how to create real joy into three minutes that feels this good, I want to sing that song.
“And I think this summer when we’re out on the Sun Goes Down 2024 Tour, ‘Just To Say We Did’ is a lot of the energy we live on. Not just my road family, but all those crazy, awesome folks pulling up and tailgating out in the parking lots where No Shoes Nation comes to life every weekend. We picked this song as the next grat track for them, too.”
Anyone who has already purchased tickets to the Sun Goes Down 2024 Tour will receive an email with a link to purchase the special BORN Tour Edition with the extra live tracks, as will people buying tickets going forward. Top tier fan club members will also receive the link to purchase the Tour Edition to recognize their longstanding passion for Chesney, the music and No Shoes Nation.