On his new full-length,
Welcome to the Fishbowl, country megastar Kenny Chesney has put together a collection of songs that tackle tough subjects: “Sing ’Em Good My Friend” is about death and masculinity, and “While He Still Knows Who I Am” examines the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Both the title track and “I’m a Small Town” are about the discontents of modern celebrity culture, but Chesney sings the latter in the voice of, yes, a small town that has seen and done everything. A sincere if somewhat perfunctory concept record,
Fishbowl contains interesting music that steals from funk, rock and even country. Meanwhile, Tim McGraw — who duets with Chesney on the
Fishbowl song “Feel Like a Rock Star” — released a sonically ambitious full-length this year,
Emotional Traffic, that sports wah-wah guitars and cellos. It’s good to know that traditionalists such as McGraw and Chesney are out there trying.
— Edd Hurt