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Kenny Chesney prepares new album, books tour to support it

Kenny Chesney delivers the follow-up to last year's multi-platinum "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems," in early 2004, and hits the road shortly after the album lands stores.

Chesney launches the run in mid-March, and dates are set through late May. The itinerary so far focuses on the eastern half of the U.S.; more shows are expected.

Dubbed the Guitars, Tiki Bars + Whole Lotta Love Tour, the outing will also feature Chesey's 2003 tour mate, Keith Urban , as well as show-opener Dierks Bentley .

The outing follows the Feb. 3 release of "When the Sun Goes Down," Keith's first collection of all-new material since "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems" surfaced in April of 2002. The new set features Chesney's latest hit, "There Goes My Life."

"It's gonna be great to get some new music to pick from," Chesney said in a statement, "and this [new] record really suits what we're trying to do live. So aside from some well-chosen surprises, people can expect the songs they love and some songs I know they're going to.

"Talking with the band guys about which new songs we want to work up, it's been pretty crazy. Usually there are two or maybe three that everyone goes, 'Yeah, we should do these…' This year, everybody's got 5 or 6 they think are definites -- and that's 'cause they're gonna be so much fun to play."

Chesney's 2003 outing--which he tagged the Margaritas'n'Senoritas Tour--sold more tickets than almost all other tours this year, trailing only Bruce Springsteen and Dave Matthews Band, according to Pollstar.

Last month, Chesney released the holiday set "All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan." The album recently achieved gold status for selling more than 500,000 copies, according to Chesney's website.