Kenny Chesney is opening up about why he felt it was important to make his new album, Silver Sands Marina, a cohesive album, rather than simply a collection of great songs.

In a statement, Chesney emphasises how this felt like something of a lost art to him, “Getting back to the idea of an album, creating not just tracks, but a collection that means something as a whole...I’d forgotten how powerful that experience can be”.

He goes on to outline that, although he wanted Silver Sands Marina to feel unified and part of the same narrative fabric, this doesn't mean he had an overarching strategy or plot in place from the outset. Chesney admits, “There wasn’t a master plan. I wish I could say there was a master plan, but the truth is: the songs that felt like they belonged together knew something I didn’t. After the first couple listens to what became the final sequence, I realized, ‘This is an album.’”

The ‘No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems’ hitmaker goes on to stress, “With all the tracks, the playlists, the drops, I think we’ve forgotten the power of an actual collection of songs designed to work as a whole. Not 10 or 12 or even 18 great songs, but songs that have a relationship to each other, that speak to how life rolls out and happens”.

Chesney explains that he wants Silver Sands Marina to cover the wonderfully eclectic spectrum of emotions life has to offer, before reflecting on how he wanted to honour his friend Brett James, who passed away late last year, by concluding the project with his track, “Songs that make you laugh, that make you realize what a moment might actually mean, those things are so important – and we forget all about them. Musically, lyrically, even the idea of opening with ‘Burn My Boat’ and closing with Brett James and Tony Lane’s ‘Shot Glass’ takes you places I’ve never been… and when all the songs line up next to each other, you get a real taste of how life rolls out, and the things you don’t see until it’s too late”.

The eagerly awaited record will also feature contributions from Nashville staples like Shane McAnally, Matraca Berg, Tia Sillers and Jessie Alexander, Jessi Jo Dillon, Adam Wright and Tennille Townes. Silver Sands Marina, which arrives on September 25th, also includes duets with Megan Moroney, Colbie Caillat and Lily Meola.

Following the widely lauded BORN, which was released in 2024, Chesney's loyal No Shoes Nation fanbase are keenly counting down the days until his next full-length project.

Marking his debut release with the newly formed Hey Now Records, judging by the singles so far - such as the recent ‘Burn My Boat’ - Silver Sands Marina promises to give fans everything they want from a Chesney record. It'll have freeing levity, life-affirming truths, deep introspection and - above all, of course - a sunny beach nearby.