"Welcome To The Fish Bowl": B+. This coming Sunday I am taking Momma Cuandito to the first-ever concert in the still relatively new Target Field. The headliners for the "Brothers Of The Sun Tour" are Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney. You already know from my February 11 post (Album Review: "Emotional Traffic") that I am a pretty big Tim McGraw fan. I have been attempting to get into Chesney's music as well, although it has been a bit of a slow go. The latest chapter in this endeavor was to purchase Chesney's new CD, "Welcome To The Fish Bowl," which was released during the last week of June.
Upon my first (of five so far) time through the new CD, the thing that struck me was the even-keelness (if that's a word) of the playlist as a whole. I found this ironic, given the fact that the venues for the tour are stadiums, which lend themselves to hell-on-wheels, up-tempo, let it all hang out rock songs. The closest thing to country rock on "Fish Bowl" is the second track, "Feel Like A Rock Star," which was written specifically for this tour and is a duet shared by the two long-time buds, Tim and Kenny.
The vibe on Chesney's new album is laid back, even occasionally melancholy, created by several numbers with outstanding, thought-provoking lyrics. At the head of the class are "Sing 'Em Good My Friend" and especially "While He Still Knows Who I Am." The latter song is about a man traveling back home to see his father who is losing his memory. The son sings that a lot of what he, himself, has become - - his fondness for Chevys, his love of baseball - - is due to his father's influence, but now he hopes to learn more about him as a man, not merely as his dad. This time he's going to give him a kiss, not just a manly handshake.
In "Sing 'Em Good My Friend," an older man is in the final stages of selling all his worldly goods because he needs the money. But he has a hard time letting go of his prized possession, an old guitar which has been with him for years. He finally agrees to sell his instrument to the singer, telling the younger musician that "he left some songs in this guitar; sing 'em good my friend." He admonishes him to sing the truth and sing the pain. In the final verse the singer promises to do the old man proud.
Also on the honor roll, maybe a nano-notch below the two aforementioned tunes, are "I'm A Small Town" and "To Get To You." The former is a clever personification of "a dot on the map."
Upon my first (of five so far) time through the new CD, the thing that struck me was the even-keelness (if that's a word) of the playlist as a whole. I found this ironic, given the fact that the venues for the tour are stadiums, which lend themselves to hell-on-wheels, up-tempo, let it all hang out rock songs. The closest thing to country rock on "Fish Bowl" is the second track, "Feel Like A Rock Star," which was written specifically for this tour and is a duet shared by the two long-time buds, Tim and Kenny.
The vibe on Chesney's new album is laid back, even occasionally melancholy, created by several numbers with outstanding, thought-provoking lyrics. At the head of the class are "Sing 'Em Good My Friend" and especially "While He Still Knows Who I Am." The latter song is about a man traveling back home to see his father who is losing his memory. The son sings that a lot of what he, himself, has become - - his fondness for Chevys, his love of baseball - - is due to his father's influence, but now he hopes to learn more about him as a man, not merely as his dad. This time he's going to give him a kiss, not just a manly handshake.
In "Sing 'Em Good My Friend," an older man is in the final stages of selling all his worldly goods because he needs the money. But he has a hard time letting go of his prized possession, an old guitar which has been with him for years. He finally agrees to sell his instrument to the singer, telling the younger musician that "he left some songs in this guitar; sing 'em good my friend." He admonishes him to sing the truth and sing the pain. In the final verse the singer promises to do the old man proud.
Also on the honor roll, maybe a nano-notch below the two aforementioned tunes, are "I'm A Small Town" and "To Get To You." The former is a clever personification of "a dot on the map."
If you blink you'll miss me.
Go ahead and laugh.
Ever since I lived in Minot I've been a sucker for songs about small towns. These few words from Chesney's song say a lot about what it's like to live in one:
Either I hold your heart, or I hold you down,
I'm a small town.
"To Get To You" is a love song in which the singer tells his girl that, despite their ups and downs, he'd do it all again.
Love's become a frightening thing to do...
I've been scared to try again, but you're worth every hurt that I've been through,
I'd go through it all again if I had to,
To get to you.
There are a handful of songs I don't much care for, including the duet with McGraw and the live version of "You And Tequila," a duet with Grace Potter sung at Red Rocks and which is getting some air play on country radio.
I am not sure what makes this a country album, other that the fact that it's put out by the good ol' country boy from eastern Tennessee, Kenny Chesney. There is more piano than slide guitar, and more traditional violin than country fiddle. Maybe all it takes to make "Fish Bowl" country is Kenny's twang. I am looking forward to seeing him, and his brother of the sun, Tim, live.
No comments:
Post a Comment