It’s finally here.
After pushing the initial July release date for an album that was originally set to be titled Some Town Somewhere, country music megastar Kenny Chesney touched down at the iHeartRadio Theater in Los Angeles to finally unveil his 17th studio album, now called Cosmic Hallelujah, on Friday.
For the album celebration -- hosted by Bobby Bones -- Chesney refashioned the theatre’s typical standing-room-only format and pulled out the bleachers for the quintessential intimate experience. The party found Chesney sitting center stage as he played his new surefire hits including “All the Pretty Girls,” the preachy “Trip Around The Sun,” and the pop-country infused “Setting The World On Fire” featuring P!nk.
After hearing the latter track in its entirety, Chesney and Bones phoned in P!nk to speak of their collaboration, which was the song that forced Chesney to stop, reevaluate, and delay his project to do some soul-searching.
"It was completely amazing and out of the blues, a total surprise, super exciting, and a great idea, and I was absolutely into it," P!nk said of their unlikely partnership. "We just went and got together in my little dinky studio in Venice Beach and sang together."
Following the phone call, Chesney introduced the twangy and cleverly brash “Bucket” in which he declares: “I quit worryin’ bout people’s expectations / and ordered up a six pack of chillaxification.”
"If you're like me, we all have certain expectations in our lives put on to us by ourselves and other people. Somedays, we physically, mentally, and emotionally don't want to live up to it," he said of the song's blithe message. "So I think the idea of just making yourself happy and doing what you want to do is a very great thing. I knew when I heard 'Bucket' that it had the potential to be an anthem for us live."
Also during the preview party, he played back “Bar At The End of The World” -- his happy place song -- the country-soul blend “Jesus & Elvis,” the CD’s lead single “Noise,” “Winnebago,” and his The Big Revival track "Save It For A Rainy Day."
Cosmic Hallelujah is available now. Chesney will park his tour bus in 2017 and refrain from taking the 11-track record on a promotional trek to lay low and hone in on his songwriting. But before he goes off the grid, he will attend the 64th BMI Country Awards on Nov. 1 and accept the prestigious BMI President’s Award, which is an accolade that goes to “songwriters who have distinctly and profoundly influenced the entertainment industry.”
He will also attend the 50th CMA Awards the following night to become the third artist to ever accept the CMA Pinnacle Award. Previous recipients of the award -- which recognizes “an artist who has achieved global prominence through concert performances and record sales at levels unique in country music” -- are Taylor Swift and Garth Brooks.
Find his preview party playlist below.
Original article at iHeartRadio