Welcome to the Fishbowl

Last updated
Welcome to the Fishbowl
WelcometotheFishbowl.jpg
Studio album by
Kenny Chesney
ReleasedJune 19, 2012 (2012-06-19)
Recorded2012
Venue Red Rocks Amphitheatre (Morrison, Colorado)
Studio
  • Ben's Place (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Blackbird (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Emerald Sound (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Love Shack (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Ocean Way (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Sound Emporium (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Sound Stage (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Tone Dock (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Westwood (Nashville, Tennessee)
Genre Country
Length53:03
Label
Producer
Kenny Chesney chronology
Hemingway's Whiskey
(2010)		Welcome to the Fishbowl
(2012)		 Life on a Rock
(2013)
Singles from Welcome to the Fishbowl
  1. "Feel Like a Rock Star"
    Released: April 2, 2012
  2. "Come Over"
    Released: May 14, 2012
  3. "El Cerrito Place"
    Released: September 10, 2012

Welcome to the Fishbowl is the fourteenth studio album by American country music singer Kenny Chesney. It was released on June 19, 2012 as his first album for Blue Chair and Columbia Records. [2] The album includes a live version of "You and Tequila" with Grace Potter. [3]

Contents

The first single from this album, "Feel Like a Rock Star", a duet with Tim McGraw, was released in April 2012. [4] Its second single, "Come Over", was released on May 14, 2012. [5] This song reached number one on the Hot Country Songs chart. "El Cerrito Place", the album's third single, was originally recorded by Charlie Robison on his 2004 album Good Times. [6] Chesney's version includes a backing vocal from Grace Potter.

Background

The album's title came from a conversation Chesney had with his football-playing friends. Chesney told USA Today that when one said, "I didn't realize your life was like this," he replied, "Hey, man, welcome to the fishbowl." [7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic (64/100) [8]
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
AbsolutePunk 80% [10]
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
American Songwriter Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Entertainment Weekly B− [13]
Omaha World-Herald Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]
RoughstockStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [16]
Taste of Country Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [17]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [18]

Upon its release, Welcome to the Fishbowl received generally positive reviews from most music critics. [8] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews and ratings from mainstream critics, the album received a metascore of 64, based on 7 reviews. [8]

The album has garnered positive reviews from AbsolutePunk, American Songwriter , The Boston Globe , Entertainment Weekly , Roughstock, Taste of Country, and the USA Today . At AbsolutePunk, Gregory Robson gave the album an 80%, and wrote that "Kenny Chesney's fifteenth studio album is nowhere near his best and nowhere near his worst. What it is though is occasionally pleasing, horribly derivative and way too self-indulgent." [10] Robson went on to state that "Welcome to the Fishbowl is anything but first-rate. More albums like this though, and Chesney himself just might become a caricature of himself." [10] Grady Smith at Entertainment Weekly graded the album to be a B− effort, and added that "Chesney's albums have always been considerably more wistful than his radio persona, but Welcome to the Fishbowl's tunes, while well wrought, can be downright dour. The tonal shift is fine — the problem is that these weepies often come off less like authentic autobiography than downbeat Nashville role-playing. (The too-sleek production and ponderous, stretched-out tempos don't help.)" [13] In addition, Smith wrote that "Fishbowl reveals less about the star's true interior life than ever." [13]

The album received four-out-of-five stars from American Songwriter, Roughstock and Taste of Country. American Songwriter music critic Eric Allen noted that "Fishbowl displays a serious yearning to stretch and dig a little deeper into life’s foibles, as if Chesney is trying to figure them out himself, but in a good way." [12] Furthermore, Allen evoked how "Welcome to the Fishbowl still manages to sound highly personal and introspective. Chesney has an uncanny knack for finding top-shelf material which sounds autobiographical and mixing it with his own to craft a uniquely distinguishable musical statement." [12] Matt Bjorke of Roughstock alluded to how "Welcome To The Fishbowl should easily join Kenny Chesney's past albums as #1-selling country records and there's no doubt that it's also amongst the best in his career, a career that is as strong now as it was promising 20 years ago". [16] Taste of Country's Billy Dukes called it "...an album to turn to with frequency." [17]

The moderately positive reviews come from The Boston Globe and the USA Today, which The Boston Globe music critic Stuart Munro noted the album for being "As consistent and meticulously constructed as ever, “Welcome to the Fishbowl” is die-cast Chesney", giving the album three and a half out of five stars, which is taken from the Metacritic assigned score. [19] Jerry Shirver of the USA Today rated the album a two and a half out of four stars, and said that "Though the arrangements of these dozen tunes are up to date and his voice retains that bland average-Joe quality that the masses and radio programmers adore, most of the themes are calculated standard issue." [18]

However, the album received mixed reviews from About.com, Allmusic, BBC Music, Country Weekly , Omaha World-Herald and the Rolling Stone . The worst review for the album came in from Jessica Nicholson of Country Weekly, who based on Metacritic assigned score rated the album a two and a half out of five stars, pointed to how "the album’s bound to leave some fans hoping Kenny will book another trip to the islands with his trusty acoustic and a cold drink, if only to find a balance between his previously lighthearted fare and the brooding material that abounds on this effort." [20] Moreover, Nicholson vowed that "the superstar delves headlong into melancholy." [20]

The three out of five star reviews were from About.com, Allmusic, BBC Music, which is based on the Metacritic assigned score, and the Rolling Stone. To this, Robert Silva of About.com highlighted that "While fans of the more upbeat Chesney may complain, Welcome to the Fishbowl shows Chesney continuing to evolve in ways that are encouraging." [9] Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine alluded to how "this is a far cheerier affair" that "the cheeky title suggests". [11] In closing, Erlewine stated that "Wedded to this warmth is a crisp clean sheen, a sound so bright that it threatens to get goofy when Chesney and crew rock out – they're no longer as urgent as they were even five years earlier, which gives the gurgling swing of the title track a stiff white-boy funkiness that isn't necessarily alienating – but such chipper charm permeates the entirety of Welcome to the Fishbowl, turning it into an everyday feel-good record, the kind that generates moments of warmth when heard fleetingly on the radio, at the grocery store, in a doctor's office, at work, or even at home." [11] Leonie Cooper of BBC Music evoked how the album is "aimed squarely at the mainstream." [21] The Rolling Stone music critic Chuck Eddy called this a "Fairly depressive, in total – but these days, Chesney sounds more convincing when he's less upbeat." [15] At Omaha World-Herald , Kevin Coffey noted how the album "has the party vibe some Chesney fans will be looking for, but a closer look at the lyrics reveals it’s a rant against paparazzi, celebrities and a culture that glorifies everyone’s 15 minutes of fame." [14]

Commercial performance

Welcome to the Fishbowl debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 193,000 copies in the United States, behind Justin Bieber's Believe . [22] As of January 2013, the album has sold 592,286 copies in the United States. [23] On February 13, 2017, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over one million copies in the United States. [24]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Come Over"
4:09
2."Feel Like a Rock Star" (with Tim McGraw)
3:28
3."Sing 'Em Good My Friend"
4:38
4."Welcome to the Fishbowl"
3:30
5."I'm a Small Town" Keith Gattis 4:38
6."El Cerrito Place"Gattis5:52
7."Makes Me Wonder"
3:13
8."While He Still Knows Who I Am"
4:16
9."Time Flies"
3:37
10."To Get to You (55th and 3rd)"
  • Chesney
  • Ewing
5:40
11."Always Gonna Be You" Mike Reid 5:16
12."You and Tequila" (live with Grace Potter)
4:49
Total length:53:03

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [40] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Chesney</span> American country musician (born 1968)

Kenneth Arnold Chesney is an American country singer. With 30 million albums sold worldwide, he released his debut, In My Wildest Dreams, in 1994, and has since released 19 follow-ups. His albums spawned 27 singles that have peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer Money</span> 2012 single by Kip Moore

"Beer Money" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Kip Moore. It was released in July 2012 as his third single from his debut album Up All Night (2012). Moore wrote the song with Blair Daly and Troy Verges. The song received positive reviews from critics who praised Moore's vocals and storytelling abilities for elevating the ordinary material.

<i>When the Sun Goes Down</i> (Kenny Chesney album) 2004 studio album by Kenny Chesney

When the Sun Goes Down is the eighth studio album by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released on February 3, 2004 by BNA Records. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling over 550,000 copies in its first week.

<i>All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan</i> 2003 studio album by Kenny Chesney

All I Want for Christmas Is a Real Good Tan is the seventh studio album by American country music singer Kenny Chesney, released on October 7, 2003. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States. As of December 2016, the album has sold 922,900 copies in the United States.

<i>Lucky Old Sun</i> 2008 studio album by Kenny Chesney

Lucky Old Sun is the twelfth studio album by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released on October 14, 2008 as the first release for Blue Chair Records, Chesney's personal division of the BNA Records record label. The album produced two singles in "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven" and "Down the Road", which were both number ones on the country charts. Chesney's versions of those two songs are duets with The Wailers and Mac McAnally respectively. This was Kenny's first album since 1997's I Will Stand to not have a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

<i>Greatest Hits II</i> (Kenny Chesney album) 2009 greatest hits album by Kenny Chesney

Greatest Hits II is a compilation album by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released on May 19, 2009, and it is his second greatest hits album since Greatest Hits in 2000. The album includes twelve singles from 2002 to 2009, as well as two non-singles from previous albums. Also included is the new song "Out Last Night", which was issued as a single in April 2009, followed by "I'm Alive" in August 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You and Tequila</span> 2011 single by Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter

"You and Tequila" is a song written by Matraca Berg and Deana Carter, and recorded by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released in May 2011 as the fourth single from his album Hemingway's Whiskey (2010). Chesney's version of the song features a guest vocal from Grace Potter, lead singer of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. On November 30, the song received two nominations in 54th Grammy Awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Duo/Group Performance. A live version of the song appears on Chesney's 2012 album Welcome to the Fishbowl.

<i>Clancys Tavern</i> 2011 studio album by Toby Keith

Clancy's Tavern is the fifteenth studio album by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released on October 25, 2011 by Show Dog-Universal Music. Lead-off single "Made in America" was released on June 13, 2011, reaching number one on the country charts in October 2011. Clancy's Tavern draws its name from the title track, which Keith wrote about his grandmother’s bar in Fort Smith, Arkansas. A deluxe edition of the album includes four cover songs recorded live at a small venue in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feel Like a Rock Star</span> 2012 single by Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw

"Feel Like a Rock Star" is a song written by Chris Tompkins and Rodney Clawson and recorded by American country music artists Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw. It was released in April 2012 as the first single from Chesney's 2012 album Welcome to the Fishbowl. It is also Chesney’s last single to be released by BNA Records, a label he had been with since 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Come Over (Kenny Chesney song)</span> 2012 single by Kenny Chesney

"Come Over" is a song written by Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne and recorded by American country music singer Kenny Chesney. It was released in May 2012 as the second single from Chesney's 2012 album Welcome to the Fishbowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Cerrito Place</span> 2012 single by Kenny Chesney

"El Cerrito Place" is a song written by Keith Gattis. Originally recorded by Charlie Robison, it was also recorded by Kenny Chesney on his 2012 album Welcome to the Fishbowl, from which it was released as the third single in September 2012.

<i>Hope on the Rocks</i> 2012 studio album by Toby Keith

Hope on the Rocks is the sixteenth studio album by the American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released on October 30, 2012 by Show Dog-Universal Music. The first single released from the album was "I Like Girls That Drink Beer". The album's second single was the title track, "Hope on the Rocks". In October 2013, the album had sold 300,000 copies in the US.

<i>True Believers</i> (Darius Rucker album) 2013 studio album by Darius Rucker

True Believers is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Darius Rucker, and his third in the country genre. It was released on May 21, 2013, through Capitol Records Nashville.

<i>Life on a Rock</i> 2013 studio album by Kenny Chesney

Life on a Rock is the fifteenth studio album by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released on April 30, 2013 via Blue Chair and Columbia Records. Chesney co-wrote eight of the album's ten tracks and co-produced the album with Buddy Cannon. It was recorded in Los Angeles, Hawaii, Jamaica, Key West, London, and Nashville. The album includes the singles "Pirate Flag" and "When I See This Bar". This was Chesney's first album since 2008's Lucky Old Sun to not have a Top 40 hit on the pop chart. This was also his first album since 1996's Me and You to not produce a single number one hit on the country charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Ain't Your Mama</span> 2012 single by Maggie Rose

"I Ain't Your Mama" is a song recorded by American country music artist Maggie Rose. It was released in June 2012 as the first single from her debut album, Cut to Impress. The song was written by Candy Cameron and Judson Spence.

<i>The Big Revival</i> 2014 studio album by Kenny Chesney

The Big Revival is the sixteenth studio album by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released via Blue Chair and Columbia Records on September 23, 2014.

<i>Cosmic Hallelujah</i> 2016 studio album by Kenny Chesney

Cosmic Hallelujah is the seventeenth studio album by American country music artist Kenny Chesney. It was released on October 28, 2016, by Blue Chair and Columbia Nashville. The album was originally scheduled for release July 8, 2016, under the title Some Town Somewhere.

<i>Texoma Shore</i> Album by Blake Shelton

Texoma Shore is the eleventh studio album by American country music singer Blake Shelton. The album was released on November 3, 2017 by Warner Bros. Records. Its lead single is "I'll Name the Dogs". As with his previous several albums, Scott Hendricks served as producer.

<i>Songs for the Saints</i> 2018 studio album by Kenny Chesney

Songs for the Saints is the eighteenth studio album by American country music singer Kenny Chesney. It was released on July 27, 2018 via Warner Bros. Nashville and Blue Chair Records. The album's content was inspired by Hurricane Irma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Chesney albums discography</span>

American country music singer Kenny Chesney has released twenty studio albums, two live albums, and two greatest hits albums. Ten of his albums consecutively reached number one on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart. Fourteen of them have been certified gold or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His highest-certified albums are No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems (2002), When the Sun Goes Down (2004), and his first Greatest Hits compilation, each certified 4× Platinum for shipping four million copies in the US. Chesney has recorded for four labels: Capricorn Records, BNA Records, Columbia Records Nashville, and Warner Records Nashville. Since 2008's Lucky Old Sun, his albums have been released in association with his own label, Blue Chair Records.

References

  1. ↑ "Kenny Chesney Renews Deal With Sony Music Nashville". Country Music Television . June 4, 2012. Archived from the original on June 8, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2012.
  2. ↑ Cooper, Brittany Joy (March 29, 2012). "Kenny Chesney Reveals Cover Art for New 'Welcome to the Fishbowl' Album". Taste of Country. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  3. ↑ Conaway, Alanna (April 3, 2012). "Kenny Chesney Reveals Track Listing to New Album 'Welcome to the Fishbowl'". Taste of Country. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw Debut at No. 13". Country Music Television . April 9, 2012. Archived from the original on April 12, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Kenny Chesney Unveils New Single, "Come Over"". Country Music Television . May 14, 2012. Archived from the original on May 18, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  6. ↑ Lankford, Robert Jr. "Good Times". Allmusic. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  7. ↑ Mansfield, Brian (March 29, 2012). "Kenny Chesney's 'Welcome to the Fishbowl' coming June 19". USA Today . Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 "Welcome to the Fishbowl, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  9. 1 2 Silva, Robert (June 19, 2012). "Kenny Chesney - 'Welcome to the Fishbowl' Album Review". About.com. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  10. 1 2 3 Robson, Gregory (June 25, 2012). "Kenny Chesney - Welcome to the Fishbowl - Album Review". AbsolutePunk. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  11. 1 2 3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (June 15, 2012). "Welcome to the Fishbowl - Kenny Chesney : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  12. 1 2 3 Allen, Eric (June 28, 2012). "Kenny Chesney: Welcome to the Fishbowl". American Songwriter. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  13. 1 2 3 Smith, Grady (June 14, 2012). "Welcome to the Fishbowl review - Kenny Chesney Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  14. 1 2 Coffey, Kevin (June 13, 2012). "Kenny Chesney's 'Welcome to the Fishbowl'". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
  15. 1 2 Eddy, Chuck (June 19, 2012). "Kenny Chesney: Welcome to the Fishbowl (BNA)". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  16. 1 2 Bjorke, Matt (June 18, 2012). "Album Review: Kenny Chesney - Welcome to the Fishbowl". Roughstock. Archived from the original on March 29, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  17. 1 2 Dukes, Billy (June 20, 2012). "Kenny Chesney, 'Welcome to the Fishbowl' – Album Review". Taste of Country. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  18. 1 2 Shriver, Jerry (June 18, 2012). "Kenny Chesney travels familiar roads on 'Fishbowl'". USA Today. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  19. ↑ Munro, Stuart (June 19, 2012). "CD REVIEW: Kenny Chesney, 'Welcome to the Fishbowl' - Music". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  20. 1 2 Nicholson, Jessica (June 19, 2012). "Welcome to the Fishbowl by Kenny Chesney". Country Weekly. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  21. ↑ Cooper, Leonie (July 2, 2012). "Music - Review of Kenny Chesney - Welcome to the Fishbowl". BBC Music. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  22. ↑ "Kenny Chesney, 'Welcome to the Fishbowl' Debuts at No. 1". The Boot.
  23. ↑ Matt Bjorke (January 3, 2013). "Country Album Chart News For January 3, 2013: Taylor Swift Still #1; Hunter Hayes Gold". Roughstock. Archived from the original on January 6, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  24. ↑ "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America .
  25. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Kenny Chesney – Welcome To The Fishbowl". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Kenny Chesney Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  27. ↑ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  28. ↑ "Kenny Chesney Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Kenny Chesney Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  33. ↑ "Kenny Chesney Chart History – Country Songs". Billboard . Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  34. ↑ "Kenny Chesney Chart History – Country Airplay". Billboard . Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  35. ↑ "Kenny Chesney Chart History – Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  36. ↑ "Kenny Chesney Chart History – Canada Country". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  37. ↑ "Kenny Chesney Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard . Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  38. ↑ "American single certifications – Kenny Chesney – Feel Like a Rockstar". Recording Industry Association of America.
  39. ↑ "American single certifications – Kenny Chesney – Come Over". Recording Industry Association of America.
  40. ↑ "American album certifications – Kenny Chesney – Welcome to the Fishbowl". Recording Industry Association of America.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.