Songs for the Saints

Kenny Chesney was born and raised in Tennessee, but the country giant has long called Saint John, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, his second home. When it was devastated by Hurricane Irma in 2017, he felt moved to write. “I’ve spent the majority of my adult life walking those beaches and hanging out in those bars and writing songs”, he told <i>Billboard</i>. “All of a sudden, it was… very broken.” Contemplative and cathartic, <i>Songs for the Saints</i> features appearances by Jimmy Buffett, Ziggy Marley and Lord Huron (with whom Chesney recuts “Ends of the Earth”, a wistful serenade that originally appeared on the band’s 2012 album, <i>Lonesome Dreams</i>). On the tearjerking ballad “Better Boat”, Chesney and Mindy Smith find strength in struggle: “I ride the waves I can’t control/I’m learning how to build a better boat.”