Review

Welcome to the Fishbowl

Common Sense Media says

Country star rocks hard but explores heavy emotions.
Age
12
Quality
 
  • Positive messages4
    "Feel Like a Rockstar," a duet with Tim McGraw, is a fun, country rocker that mentions drinking, and there other party songs on the record. However, most of the tunes are much more earnest, and explore some meaningful emotional subjects: true love ("To Get to You"), small-town America ("I'm a Small Town"), losing a loved one ("Sing Em Good My Friend"). One of the strongest songs is the heartbreaker "While He Still Knows Who I Am," about a man who wants to connect with his aging father and show how much he loves him while his dad is still present enough to understand. Overall, Fishbowl encourages listeners to explore meaningful emotional subjects in an honest way.
  • Positive role models3
    The persona that Kenny Chesney adopts here is a somewhat mixed bag, but more positive than not. For example, in "Time Flies" he recommends using a rum-soaked beach vacation to recover from heartbreak; whereas in "Sing Em Good My Friend" he is moved by an elderly man who's selling all of his possessions to pay his wife's medical bills. And in "While He Still Knows Who I Am" the singer wants to connect deeply with his aging father before his father loses his mental faculties. Overall, the most emotional, serious songs show real feeling that listeners can apply to their own relationships.
  • Violence0
    Not applicable.
  • Sex2
    In "Come Over," the singer mentions his bed being cold, and he wants his lover to come over even though their relationship is troubled. "Welcome to the Fishbowl" mentions tabloid pictures of cheating lovers, and stars who dream of having a "house in the hills, money, sex, boat, cars." "Time Flies" uses the words "booty" and "gettin' some." "Always Gonna Be You" says that even if the singer "lays down in some angel's arms," he's always going to love the woman in the song. Other romantic tunes mention dancing, kissing, and hand-holding.  
  • Language1
    "Feel Like a Rockstar" includes the phrases "busted your ass" and "pimped up hangin' in the VIP." "Time Flies" has the word "booty." "You and Tequila" says "hell-bent on gettin' high."
  • Consumerism1
    In "While He Knows Who I am," the singer drives a Chevy because his father drove Chevys. "Feel Like a Rockstar" asks if you "put the juice in the goose / or the Coke in the Crown?"
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking3
    "Feel Like a Rockstar" includes a series of questions, including "Do you smoke, do you drink?" and "Put the juice in the goose / or the Coke in the Crown [whisky]?" This song also makes a vague drug reference, asking whether you "leave it in the truck or sneak it in, in your boot?" "Time Flies" reinterprets an old saying to say "Time flies when you're having rum" and encourages the heartbroken person in the song to "keep sippin'." "You and Tequila" equates both the appeal and the ill effects of drinking tequila to a destructive relationship.
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Welcome to the Fishbowl features a combination of uptempo country-rock tunes and heartfelt ballads. Besides offering a decent helping of love songs and party songs, the album explores some heavy topics. "Sing 'Em Good My Friend" tells about an elderly man who is selling all of his possessions to pay his dying wife's medical bills. "While He Still Knows Who I Am" shows a man about to visit his aging father, thinking how much he wants to connect and show his dad how he feels before his father declines too much to understand. Fishbowl mentions sex, "booty," and romance -- though nothing graphic -- and includes a couple mild curse words ("ass," "hell"). There's also alcohol consumption, particularly in the song "Time Flies" (as in "Time flies when you're having rum"), which recommends a rum-soaked beach vacation to heal a broken heart.

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