Kenny Chesney will release “Hemingway’s Whiskey,” his first new studio album since 2008’s “Lucky Old Sun,” Sept. 28.

Chesney took the year off from his usual summer stadium tour (and the industry certainly could have used him this year), but he’s hardly been idle. In the last few months, his 3D movie “Kenny Chesney: Summer in 3D” came out, plus he’s putting the finishing touches on “Boys of Fall,” his documentary about high school football. Hey, why should Ice Cube corner the market on music stars producing docs about football?  Maybe “Boys of Fall,” which Chesney is shopping for distribution now, can be bundled with this season’s DVD of “Friday Night Lights.”

Anyway,  “Hemingway’s Whiskey”  takes its title from a Guy Clark tune.   “When I heard the song, I knew it was the perfect title for the record,” Chesney says in a statement.. “I was sitting in my truck and a friend had given me Guy's album, which had just come out - and it's a song that talks about living life to its fullest, being a man about your responsibilities and not compromising. As soon as I heard it, I knew I had to cut it… and call the album that… because it says everything about the way you live your life, and what life can be if you refuse to buy into limits, which - as someone who's read all his books - is everything Hemingway's novels revolved around.”