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.
“This album, Here and Now, was a lot of fun to make because the songs were a lot of fun,” says Kenny. “There 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.”
Much of the album was written and recorded over the last 18 months, including the title track, which is currently Top 10 on Billboard’s 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: “You and me, ain’t it good to be alive / Ain’t no better place, ain’t no better time / Than here and now.”
“Within 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,” says Kenny. “And in my brain I kept hearing a melody and this urgency and the angst of a song like ‘Here and Now.’ And I’m telling you, I cannot wait to do this song live. And what a great sentiment, really. Because we all try to plan ahead or we’re all living in the past and it’s really hard to live in the moment and to live in the here and now. And in my opinion there’s 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 that’s living in the here and now with you.”
Listen to “Here and Now” below.
