With “Noise,” the propulsive look at sonic overload and hyper connectivity, hitting the charts with an unprecedented 146 reporting radio stations, Kenny Chesney struck a nerve about the white noise overwhelming our daily lives. Look for the 8-time Entertainer of the Year to consider the state of the world we live in, resetting reality, drinking, dreams, love and yes, escape when he releases Some Town Somewhere July 8.
“In some ways, this record is more me than anything I’ve done,” Chesney says. “You get into my head, my heart and the way so much of what’s going on around all of us hits me. Taken as a whole, this is a record about seizing life in all its forms: the moments you wish wouldn’t end, the times that make you rethink your priorities, the simple stuff that gives us balance, a few characters at the bar and the hope that it’s all worth doing.”
Drawing on some of his favorite writers – Shane McAnally (“Somewhere With You,” “American Kids”), Josh Osborne (“Wild Child,” “Come Over”), David Lee Murphy (“Pirate Flag,” “Living In Fast Forward”), Ross Copperman (“Pirate Flag”) and Matraca Berg (“You & Tequila”) – as well as Oscar nominee Allison Moorer, Americana Awards winner Hayes Carll and Texas singer/songwriter John Ed Baumann, Some Town Somewhere is as musically progressive as The Big Revival without loosing the East Tennessee songwriter’s roots. A strong melodic sense permeates, along with a handful of wistful ballads and a few feel good songs with some meat on their bones.
“Every time I go into the studio, I think it’s important to bring people into your world – and maybe give them back a piece of their own world in the process. So much is happening so fast, we get caught up and forget some of the best stuff is what we’re rushing through,” says the man deemed “The People’s Superstar” by The Los Angeles Times. “I’ve had some of the very best songs, songs that really meant something to people and we went interesting places musically. But that sets the bar higher every time. I don’t want to repeat — and I want to grow as an artist. It’s a lot harder than you’d think.”
Again co-producing with Buddy Cannon, Some Town Somewhere was recorded in Los Angeles and Nashville, Tenn. Though no Grace Potter, there will be some very special guests – including Moorer on the song she co-wrote. Covering a vast stylistic plane, Chesney used many of the core players from The Big Revival – and its four consecutive No. 1 singles — to maintain the aggression and create an energy that took the songs to more intense places.
“When you’re in the studio, the chemistry the band has can have as much impact on the way the songs turn out as anything,” Chesney explains. “You could feel it on the last album, and I think everybody brought it up a notch or two this time. Everyone kind of knew we’d let ‘em push the songs, and man did they. Even the acoustic songs have so much presence.”
Having written, recorded and exploded “Noise” at country radio in a matter of two weeks, the urgency behind Chesney’s current music is palpable. With the winter committed to writing, listening and recharging, he spent the time considering what he wanted his next record to be. On July 8, the No Shoes Nation will get the next chapter in a long book that contains so many of their lives when Some Town Somewhere finds its way into the ongoing conversation.
