Kenny Chesney's heart broke as he watched Hurricane Irma devastate the Virgin Islands in 2017. As a part-time resident of the islands (specifically of St. John), Chesney knows how overwhelmingly destructive the storm was and how much the resilient people of the Virgin Islands must rebuild.
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Giving a nod to the islands on his new album Songs for the Saints, Chesney has collaborated with three musicians he connects with the area in their own special way including Mindy Smith on "Better Boat, Ziggy Marley on "Love for Love City," a song named after Chesney's charity he formed after Irma, and Jimmy Buffett on "Trying to Reason With Hurricane Season," a track Buffett originally recorded in 1974.
"Each one of them has a tie to my life in the islands, but also reflect some piece of what we're trying to do," Kenny Chesney said in a statement. "Ziggy Marley, and his family's legacy, holds so much truth for all of the people I know down there. Mindy Smith's Come to Jesus was an album I lived with from morning to night when I was first going down there — and her voice sounds like an angel. And Jimmy, more than the lost shaker of salt, understands the poetry of the islands beyond what tourists see, the life in a way that made a song written decades ago so current. I'm honored they also want to help."
Read More: Watch Kenny Chesney's Summery New Video for 'Get Along'
Chesney's new record comes out on July 27, but a special presale begins on June 15 where all of the proceeds will benefit Love for Love City. Fans can already connect with the feel-good vibes of the album's lead single, "Get Along," and his humble new song dedicated to the Virgin Islands, "Song for the Saints."
The release Song for the Saints, co-produced by Buddy Cannon, will mark Chesney's 17th studio record, and his first album with his new label, Blue Chair/Warner Bros. Nashville after leaving Sony. Chesney has already begun his Trip Around the Sun Tour along with Thomas Rhett, Old Dominion and Brandon Lay which will run through August.
'Songs for the Saints' Track Listing:
1. "Song for the Saints"
2. "Every Heart"
3. "Get Along"
4. "Pirate Song"
5. "Love for Love City" (with Ziggy Marley)
6. "Ends of the Earth"
7. "Gulf Moon"
8. "Island Rain"
9. "Trying To Reason With Hurricane Season" (with Jimmy Buffett)
10. "We're All Here "
11. "Better Boat" (featuring Mindy Smith)
