Toby Keith - "White Trash With Money"

[StevePulaski]

White Trash With Money (2006)
By: Toby Keith

Rating: ★★★

From the first track on Toby Keith's 2006 release White Trash With Money, we get an entirely different feel and sound that we've yet to hear from Keith in his, at the time, fifteen years of country music experience. While the 1990's were dominated by him conveying his image as a typical, heartfelt country crooner who could sing you a love song but also be the provider of a raucous good time, his early 2000's work illustrated a more rowdy persona, one that was about hard-drinking and "love it or leave it" patriotism (which, in my opinion, is why opinions on him to this day are so divisive). White Trash With Money may be his riskiest release to date, as Keith works with producer Lari White on the album, creating a sound that is much more laidback and different than anything he has put out to date.

"Get Drunk and Be Somebody," about a man disillusioned with his job and the fact his boss doesn't know who he is, who takes pride in hitting the local bar on Friday night, captures a mood that is livelier than most of Keith's songs in terms of pitch, with instrumentation catering more to horns than anything else. He persists on with a different take on the country heartbreak tune "A Little Too Late" by evoking a more contemporary sound to compliment rather familiar lyrics, making this a delightful blend of old and new. Such traits can also be found on "Crash Here Tonight," another intimate ballad that benefits more in the lyrical department and has Keith and White working to compose a simple, yet effective production.

Keith's wit and humor on the album is in full force, particularly in tracks like "Grain of Salt," talking about he managed to get over breaking up with his ex-girlfriend so quickly. In addition, his "Bus Song Sessions," the latter three, acoustic tracks on the album, evoke a softer, wittier side to Keith's rugged persona, with the highlight in terms of humor being "Runnin' Block," about Keith and his pal double-dating with two women they didn't quite expect. Even songs with sadder undertones like "Note to Self" wind up having a spark of wit that continue to show Keith's subtly and talent with evoking humor in his music.

White Trash With Money, for an experimental release, is all around sound and impressive, especially given Keith's background at the time and him being on top of the country game. To release something like this could've derailed his long-standing image as one of the kings of contemporary country, but instead, it shows his affinity as a songwriter and a storyteller in his music, with numerous tracks boasting different sounds that still measure up to Keith's impressive country roster of songs. In the end, for being so experimental in sound, it's remarkable how well this fits in with his catalog.

Recommend tracks: "Note to Self," "Grain of Salt," "A Little Too Late," and "Crash Here Tonight."