How does one measure success? That's the question when looking at Kenny Chesney's new album Born. While the singer's album just debuted at No. 5 on the Hot Country Albums, it failed to reach his previous career benchmarks.
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Born debuted at just 20 on the Billboard 200. While it gives him his 18th top 20 entry on that chart, Chesney just barely edged his way in. In fact, fans would have to go back more than two decades to find an album of his that ranked lower. Back in 1999, Everywhere We Go only reached No. 51 on the chart. We're talking non-holiday albums of course. Audiences just weren't ready for All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan.
But since 1999, all of Chesney's studio albums have broke the Top 10 on the Billboard 200. In that time, he released 14 full-length albums, with eight of them striking at No.1. His lowest album Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates during this period still hit at No. 3. It's an impressive record, which makes Born all that much more disappointing.
Born also debuted at No. 5 on the Top Country Albums chart, another career disappointment. While it's not matching his career heights, the album did drop at No. 1 on all-genre Top Albums Sales chart. It's Chesney's first album since 2020's Here and Now.
Kenny Chesney Talks New Album
Chesney opened up to Men's Journal on the creative process behind the album. He said he allowed himself to be creative and to generate the songs he liked.
He said, "There wasn't a masterplan, only time to be creative, to write songs and listen, go into the studio with great musicians and enjoy the process. We didn't cut anything for a reason, except we wanted to know what it would sound like!"
He continued, "Then I had a lot of music that went a lot of places. When we started listening, I realized this album wasn't going to be about any one thing, but everything. (laughter) It would've been too much to set out to do, but once it was all there, well, there it was. Listening to "Born," all the juxtapositions and questions in that, it really set up this collection of songs.
Chesney said it's important to think creatively. He said, "When you throw out the rules of "how" to make a record, anything can happen. You may create something you didn't realize you had in you, and go places you wouldn't have as an album. So, it wasn't a decision that was made, it happened. But in picking the songs and setting the sequence, maybe that's where it came together."
