After postponing the release and switching the name of his upcoming album – it’s now called Cosmic Hallelujah and will release October 28 – Kenny Chesney sent to radio last week his latest single “Setting The World On Fire,” featuring pop artist P!nk.
The song begins a bit disjointedly; the melody and intonation of Chesney’s voice feel like the beginning of an ballad or midtempo, while the percussion promises bombasticism and comes off a little too harsh.
The song settles in for the chorus, where percussives blend with strong electrics for a dynamic anthem about newfound, unbridled passion. P!nk’s vocal complements both Chesney’s and the song beautifully.
“You can’t conjure a song that captures that feeling of being on the brink like this does,” Chesney says in a release. “The lyrics are a perfect way of saying it, but when you feel that melody rise, the arrangement picking up momentum – it’s bigger than you are, and all you want to do is throw yourself against the night. Then when P!NK comes in, well, that just brings this (song) to life.”
“To me, great songs are great songs regardless of genre – and the core of being alive is the same no matter where you are,” he continues. “That rush of realizing there’s something going on here… You’re really clicking with someone… Or even just one of those perfect nights with your friends, there’s no feeling like it. And I like the idea of P!NK with her voice that is so strong and contains so many colors, she really makes that idea of giving into your heart, shouting out the window and whirling around in the middle of an abandoned street feel real.”
Though the song fits well with Chesney’s Los-Angeles-themed musings (“Anything But Mine,” “El Cerrito Place”) it feels a bit watered down, though it waxes nostalgic and anthemic about a moment lived up. It may not fall under Chesney’s canon of classics, but it’ll do well, and be a new material highlight live.