Summary

A boat graces the cover of Songs for the Saints, a visual that usually suggests sunny good times from Kenny Chesney. Beaches are one of his specialties, so it would follow that this 2018 album -- his first record for Warner, after departing his longtime home of Sony -- is a breezy affair. That's true to an extent: superficially, it's a relaxed, tuneful collection, one that creates and sustains a mellow mood. Still, there's a reason why this is called Songs for the Saints, and it's not related to religion. Chesney assembled the album in the wake of 2017's Hurricane Irma, a storm that devastated the Caribbean. Among its victims was a house of Chesney's in St. John. Recognizing his own loss was minor, the singer took stock of how Irma changed the lives of so many in the path of the storm, and decided to craft Songs for the Saints as something of a tribute to what these islands mean. Songs for the Saints does have an undercurrent of melancholy running through a few of its tunes, yet its tone isn't sorrowful. Chesney celebrates the very feel of island culture, drawing upon the scenery, legends, weather, and friendship that come with the sand, sun, and sea. This focus on a warm, hazy vibe separates Songs for the Saints from such introspective Chesney albums as Hemingway's Whiskey, which are studied in their sobriety. Here, he winds up finding depth within his signature mellow good times, and the result is one of Chesney's best records: it goes down smooth yet lingers in the memory long after its gone. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine