Post by StevePulaski on May 28, 2015 22:50:59 GMT -5
Honkytonk University (2005)
By: Toby Keith
By: Toby Keith
Rating: ★★★
"Do blondes really have more fun, or are they just easier to spot in the dark?" is the question Toby Keith uses as the opening and closing line of his song "Just the Guy to Do It;" this is the consistent theme of the entire album that is Honkytonk University.
After three decidedly lesser albums, and right in the midst of political controversy and pandering, post-9/11 rabble-rousing, Toby Keith probably found himself at a crossroads with Honkytonk University. He could either continue his formula of hot, patriotic singles or pursue a new route of experimentation and different sounds. He, thankfully, chose the latter and created a damn fine, twelve-track album with no two songs sounding alike.
We open with the titular track, an anthem that's good for getting the party going and goes everywhere you think it would, with Keith talking about the birth of his interest in country music and where that has led him over the years. He proudly boasts his metaphorical degree from "Honkytonk U" before trailing off into the uptempo but self-defeating anthem "Ain't as Good as I Once Was," with Keith reflecting on his past self and discussing how he longs for the time where he was once on top of his game. Normally, with the first two or three tracks of a Keith album, we generally know what we're getting into, especially with the last two albums. However, Keith surprises with some followups.
"Just the Guy to Do It" is a conversational country tune, one that echoes the melody and buildup of "Stays in Mexico," the Keith hit that came from his second Greatest Hits album, concerning Keith trying to woo a recently dumped blonde widow at the bar. His relaxed demeanor echoes Alan Jackson's "The Talkin' Song Repair Blues," but where Jackson tries to remain tried and true to traditionalist honkytonk, Keith tries to dismantle convention and really create masochistic country tunes that are distinctly modern in sound and feel. "Knock Yourself Out" is an interesting mix of country heartbreak and one of those songs that has the singer relieving themselves from a relationship. It's a tricky dance that Keith pulls off splendidly with a beautiful, relaxed flow and lyrics realistic to the situation. Then there's the wryly funny "You Ain't Leavin' (Thank God Are Ya)" that has Keith toying with the cool-guy, smug humor he often dabbles into, and "Where You Gonna Go?," a song named after the question a man asks his woman when she proclaims her own emancipation from their relationship.
Honkytonk University, in just twelve tracks, echoes the wiliness of Waylon Jennings, the sad weepers of Merle Haggard, the crisp, low vocals of Johnny Cash, and the genre-bending country tunes of Hank Williams. It went on to kickstart Keith's rampant experimentation with softer sounds (as seen on his followup to this with White Trash With Money), a rowdier sound (Big Dog Daddy), and, finally, a mix of the two (Bullets in the Gun. This album really went on to be the turning point for Keith, where basic ingredients for a country radio hit were scrapped in order to pursue more grandiose song concepts that made him the respectable country musician he is today.
Recommended tracks (in order): "Knock Yourself Out," "Ain't as Good as I Once Was," "Just the Guy to Do It," "You Ain't Leavin' (Thank God Are Ya)," and "Big Blue Note."