Toby Keith Discography

[StevePulaski]

Toby Keith (1993)
By: Toby Keith

Rating: ★★★

Toby Keith's 1993 debut album, who's cover boasts a clean-cut, dress-shirt wearing, mullet-sporting Keith, really bringing yesteryear vibes, reminds anyone who is heavily familiar with the raucous country star's contemporary activity that his pioneering days were all about establishing a presence as a crooner, more or less. Songs about hard drinking, hard partying, and appreciating the working class folk didn't kick in until his sophomore album and his early 2000's work, while a great deal of his original hits centered around the cowboy life and lovesick blues.

Toby Keith is an effective time-stamp, as it reminds of the 1990's in country music, a decade populated by low-key artists sporting big songs that either resonated with a certain demographic or provided them with a great sense of fun and urgency. Toby Keith kicks off with the album's lead single "Should've Been a Cowboy," a longtime favorite of mine and Keith's first hit, respectively, telling of how Keith should've chosen the cowboy life and referencing a great deal of Western Television and film in order to prove his point. The song has a reflective vibe to it, as if a man is seriously reflecting on his life and how he should've pursued a life of ropin' and ridin'. The tune is charismatic, to say the least, and a deserved hit, effectively boasting Keith's low-pitched voice and his ability to take a crack at witty song writing.

Following the album's lead single are a barrage of shockingly somber tunes, such as "Wish I Didn't Know Now," a song that went over my head as a child, but leaves me with wet eyes whenever I hear it. The song concerns a man's vague suspicions his wife may be stepping out on him, but they are suspicions he believes are basic paranoia and sweeps him under the wrong, until one day, the long sought after truth emerges and it's something he wishes he didn't know. Now, he's left in an awkward state of wishing he didn't know now what he didn't know then and took the blissfully ignorant route. Criticize Keith, his opinions, and his occasionally corny lyricism, but don't say the man doesn't have a deep understanding of heartbreak on an adulterous level, channeling Daryle Singletary's "I Let Her Lie" with such a heartbreaking ballad.

Successors like "Valentine," a song about a man's love for his long-gone woman on the most heartbreaking day of the year for singles, channels comparably sad territory, "A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action," taken from a 1992 Hank Williams, Jr. song, is another long-time favorite of mine, almost being a prophetic anthem for what Keith would later become in his career, and "Close But No Guitar," sending off a great deal of the tearjerkers and country heartbreak tunes with a witty play-on-words that serves as something shockingly catchy and infectious.

Toby Keith doesn't break new ground, but it proudly compliments already charted territory at that. The album is quick, but never too breezy that it's digested and dismissed. If nothing else, it furthers my opinion that 1990's country had a distinct personality that segregates itself from the rest of the genre in the best way possible; it was heavily built on weepers and the songs boasting high spirits were a rousing great time.

Recommended tracks (in order): "Should've Been a Cowboy," "Wish I Didn't Know Now," "A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action," "Valentine," and "Close But No Guitar."

[StevePulaski]

Boomtown (1995)
By: Toby Keith

Rating: ★★★

Toby Keith's sophomore effort Boomtown, released barely a year after the release of his eponymous debut album, opens with one of the saddest contemporary country songs I know, so sad you think it was written by George Jones and sung with a yodel by Hank Williams. The song is "Who's That Man," about a man admiring what we believe is his neighborhood, remarking how the road was recently redone and how he always makes a left to get to his destination. It isn't until he says he fights back tears with a smile when he drives by a specific home, pointing out his yard, his dog, and his kids, and his wife, but questions who that man is, who is now running his life. The man is divorced and drives through the neighborhood to witness his old family's prosperous life without him.

Just writing and reflecting on the song made my eyes well with tears, and it's the kind of heartbreaking topic that Keith handles remarkably well. Keith has a resonance with blue-collar, working class individuals, and that fact is more than evident by the title of his sophomore album, referencing his old life as an oil-rig worker in an oil boomtown. The album zips by in less than forty minutes, about equal length to his previous effort, and gives the equivalent level of urgency and zest that his debut did.

There's "Big Ol' Truck," a song that is a brazen ode to female truckers, unafraid of kicking up mud in their four wheel drive, "Victoria's Secret," about a lonely mother/wife turned prostitute in the evening hours, and "You Ain't Much Fun," a light-hearted break from a great deal of emotion the album provides to identify a man questioning how much fun his wife is when he's sober. One particular song that sticks out to me is "Upstairs Downtown," a song that is not very sad, but very honest, and serves as another teary-eyed ballad in Keith's early discography. The song concerns an eighteen-year-old woman who moves out of the house and struggles to make end's meet in a small apartment. While the song has plenty of upsetting circumstances, it's more of a slice of life song in terms of how it feels to get you foot in the door and try to make it on your own, as an adult, an individual, and, perhaps the scariest, an independent in society.

The level of resonance in Boomtown is, once again, incredibly high, as Keith truly understands this working class demographic a lot better than many other musicians of other genres, again affirming my love for the genre of country music. The album concludes with the titular track, which, oddly enough, isn't a single or a very popular track in Keith's lengthy catalog, which details life as an oil worker in a competitive field. The song, unsurprisingly, oozes empathy and lyrical competence; it was at this point in time that you'd be crazy to think that Toby Keith wasn't anything other than a rising country music star.

Recommended tracks (in order): "Who's That Man," "Upstairs Downtown," "You Ain't Much Fun," and "Boomtown."

[StevePulaski]

Blue Moon (1996)
By: Toby Keith

Rating: ★★★

As I stated in my reviews of Toby Keith's first two albums, Toby Keith and Boomtown, respectively, anyone who revisits his first four albums will be surprised to discover, or even recall, that Toby Keith was more about being a low-key, country crooner, catering to the common country style of the 1990's, rather than the hard-partying, hard-drinking rabble-rouser he's known as today. Blue Moon, his third album, may indeed be his most sensitive and his most low-key, only bearing one song with his known rock and roll country tendencies and catering to a softer, humbler appearance of the mulleted-man in a cowboy hat.

The album is known for its lead single "Does That Blue Moon Ever Shine on You?," a tender tune about a man questioning whether or not his old lover recalls him with the fondness and memories that he does her, and, admittedly, not much else in a contemporary setting. "The Lonely" is another song that replicates what one could infer is Keith in a more somber mood, concerning a club made up of lonely patrons that are, in turn, the audience and the main attraction of the bar that particular night, and "A Woman's Touch," a slightly more-elevated tune in sound and tempo about a man who hungers for a woman's soft touch to smooth out his rough edges.

"Hello" is the only song that bears Keith's trademark rowdiness, and for me, that's not necessarily a bad thing. This deeper, more sensitive side of Keith evokes a great deal of empathy in its heartbreak and sadness, for me, and I presume a great deal of other listeners. The album, like the previous two, is concise at only ten tracks clocking in at under forty minutes, making for a pleasant diversion and a soulful stroll through Keith's discography at its more tender.

Recommended tracks (in order): "A Woman's Touch," "Does That Blue Moon Ever Shine on You?," and "The Lonely."

[StevePulaski]

Dream Walkin' (1997)
By: Toby Keith

Rating: ★★★½

Toby Keith's Dream Walkin' was recorded and released in a transitory period of Keith's career, shifting from Mercury Records to DreamWorks and choosing to cover a couple songs for the album, an uncommon move for the country singer. Keith's album is a short dream in itself, with ballads capturing tumultuous periods in relationships, as well as momentary breaks to attend to more fast-paced covers and country ditties. There's a pleasant dreamlike quality to Dream Walkin' in style and in construction, and that's probably the highest compliment I could pay to the album.

We open with "We Were in Love," a solid opening track that has Keith reflecting on a relationship with the kind of focus on nostalgia and pleasantries that, thankfully, doesn't come off as being indulgent or self-satisfying. We follow up with the titular track, one of my favorite songs from Keith's early days, as he reflects on a mysterious woman who is a part of his dreams every night, and has such a visceral impact on him, he can't wait to go to sleep and see her. The song has a beautiful magic quality to it, and plays well for anybody who has ever had that kind of feeling when they're with someone; you're so happy and taken you're almost lucid.

"Jacky Don Trucker (Play by the Rules, Miss All the Fun)" is one of the rare Keith tracks that is breakneck in its flow, effortlessly achieving the ability to be an addicting, classic-country romp, "You Don't Anymore" is Keith's traditional "love gone sour" song, included on most of his albums, which mostly provide a great emotional effect without being too sentimental, and "Double Wide Paradise" is another tune that feels like it was taken directly from a dream, especially in its infectious chorus that is sung with a hazy melody.

The two songs that function very well with one another here are "Yet" and "Strangers Again," though they are ostensibly unrelated. "Yet" concerns two souls who have just met, yet feel like they've known each other for years, and the narrator cannot believe they haven't said "I love you" yet. "Strangers Again," on the other hand, is one of the most relatable songs I've heard in years, and should ring true to anyone who has had a friendship or relationship fall through just as soon as it began. It concerns two people who meet, hang out quite a bit, turn into lovers, but before long, they go back to being strangers. Hearing this song and listening to it play out is heartbreaking; living it is something else.

Dream Walkin' is a beautiful album, and probably the best alongside How Do You Like Me Now?! for the first leg of Keith's career. Despite finding ways to assimilate to the tastes of the masses, Keith claims an identity here, and it's an identity predicated off of the poetry and the dreamlike qualities he brings to the table with this release. This doesn't totally feel like a traditional country album, yet it doesn't rock hard enough to be rock nor pop enough to be pop.

Recommended tracks (in order): "Dream Walkin'," "Double Wide Paradise," "Jacky Don Trucker (Play by the Rules, Miss All the Fun)," "Strangers Again," and "Yet."

[StevePulaski]

How Do You Like Me Now?! (1999)
By: Toby Keith

Rating: ★★★½

If I made a list of my top ten favorite Toby Keith songs, "How Do You Like Me Now?!" would likely be fairly high on the list. Ever since I was a kid, something about me and that particular song connected; from the get-go, I understood the storyline to it and I resonated with the ideas it presented. It concerns a man who is rubbing it in the face of a girl he couldn't get to love him, or even look his way for that matter, in high school and proclaims his musical success to her while reminding her of the life she settled for. The song had the ability to be mean-spirited and hateful, but Keith keeps it jolly and fun, especially when put to his own personal context, calling it the anthem for anyone who has tried so hard to rub their own personal success into the face of people who doubted them or didn't believe their dream could come true.

Keith's fifth studio album, first on Mercury Records following his departure from DreamWorks, named after that same song, is a rousing good time, showing Keith with a refreshed drive and ego that has the ability to crank out yet another winning album. Following his first three albums, where Keith was singing good songs with a solid or average presentation, it is on How Do You Like Me Now?! where he finally finds himself and gets his own mantra and moxy working for him. He is loud and cheerful on songs like "Country Comes to Town," asserting the presence the genre can have, and "Die With Your Boots On," pleasantly humble on tracks like "Blue Bedroom" and "New Orleans," that tell stories of lost love or lost hope, and truly fantastic, more unique songs like "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This," probably my favorite on the album alongside its titular track.

"You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This" concerns two close friends, who are often seen together, but we can tell the woman doesn't want to take the relationship much further into serious dating realms. Despite most people seeing the true beauty of them being together and the possibly love in the air whenever they are together, they remain simply friends until her kiss makes him second-guess everything. He states that he recognizes their relationship stops at a friendship, but when she "kisses him like that" he believes she "means it like that," and it's a wonderful song about two perfect parties that are uncertain of where they're at even though fate and love it playing with them in a positively special way. It's a thoroughly beautiful song.

How Do You Like Me Now?! treads so close on finding its way into schmaltzy territory at times, especially with one of the album's concluding tracks, "Hold You, Kiss You, Love You," but, typical of Keith, he doesn't toy with these ideas too much without shifting gears to another melody or another vibe. At forty minutes, the album is a lean and fulfilling offering from a singer that has earned the right to ask such a question after the large amount of material he has released.

NOTE: My entry of Toby Keith's song "How Do You Like Me Now?!" for "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski" blog series I did back in the summer of 2014, stevepulaskisongs.blogspot.com/2014/07/song-52-toby-keith-how-do-you-like-me_20.html

Recommended tracks (in order): "How Do You Like Me Now?!," "I Know a Wall When I See One," "Blue Bedroom," You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This," "Country Comes to Town," and "When Love Fades."

[StevePulaski]

Pull My Chain (2001)
By: Toby Keith

Rating: ★★½

Right between the release of Toby Keith's How Do You Like Me Now?! and Pull My Chain is when I began listening to the country singer, watching every music video he did during the time on Country Music Television (CMT) and even going as far as to have my mom help me collect cassette releases of his albums. How Do You Like Me Now?! was a shift for Keith, as he was not only transferring from Mercury Records to DreamWorks, but he was transferring styles as well. His first three albums were populated with crooner country music, distinctive thanks to Keith's baritone vocals singing heartfelt weepers. When he shifted record labels is when Keith begun to take on the style we know him for today, which is rowdy, free-spirited, and more of a comedic force of country.

Pull My Chain doesn't come close to replicating the greatness that seemed promised on How Do You Like Me Now?!. That particular album was so fresh and unexpected, as if Keith has been unshackled from a style and just let loose in front of a microphone, armed with the weapon of three chords and a distribution channel. Pull My Chain, however, features some of my childhood favorites that still hold up today, like the wry "I'm Just Talkin' Bout Tonight" (one of the first songs I learned how to sing, actually), which subtly details the perks and efforts of a man having a one night stand rather than blatantly outlining them, and the "I Want to Talk About Me," which could very well be seen as one of the earliest efforts of country-rap well before the days of Colt Ford and Bubba Sparxxx.

Keith moves on in his usual zippy manner, hitting some winners with "Tryin' to Matter," a mid-tempo song about a couple desperately trying to make it work and achieve their own personal goal of having their loving "matter," "Forever Hasn't Gotten Here Yet," a very solid, borderline-rock track about keeping your promise to someone you swore you'd love forever, and "My List," a simple ballad about a man taking time to do things like "go for a walk, say a little prayer, and take a deep breath of mountain air," adhering to all of life's little blessings instead of the hustle and bustle of the daily grind. He stumbles on songs like "You Leave Me Weak," where he sounds almost whiny, something I never thought I'd call Keith on any of his albums, and "Give Me 8 Seconds," a song burdened by a loud production and lackluster lyricism. He finds himself rebounding with slower tunes like "Yesterday's Rain," a nice metaphor for being burdened by old circumstances, but still finds a difficult time rising above the album's overall inconsistent nature.

Pull My Chain is one of the last albums of the early 2000's of Toby Keith that doesn't bear such hard-hitting, patriotic tendencies like his next few works would, and for that reason, it's pleasant to note that the album's sentimentality is never too cloying or artificial. However, the album is an album rooted in many different inconsistencies, from production being all over the place to songs being almost entirely forgotten following their conclusion. Had Keith not delivered something so impressive and grandiose before this, perhaps I would be a bit more positive with Pull My Chain; yet, because of that, we saw what Keith could do with How Do You Like Me Now?! and this isn't in line with that.

Recommended tracks (in order): "I'm Just Talkin' Bout Tonight," "Forever Hasn't Got Here Yet," "I Want to Talk About Me," and "My List."

[StevePulaski]

Unleashed (2002)
By: Toby Keith

Rating: ★★★

Toby Keith's Unleashed is one of his most commercially successful releases to date, with three huge singles and two of which effectively making him a, albeit controversial, household name, if he wasn't already one by the release of Pull My Chain. A great deal of Keith's notoriety and subsequent divisive opinions came from his hit single "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)," which kicks off Unleashed, was one of the many prideful American anthems by country artists that emerged following the events of September 11th, 2001, with singers like Alan Jackson, Aaron Tippin, and Darryl Worley even coming for a piece of the patriotism pie. Keith's song is brazen in its emotions and its intentions to spark fire, anger, and pride within those who listen to it, and his vocals and production has never been stronger. However, the song is a mess tonally, slowing down to almost spoken word poetry at times and then kicking it into overdrive with a midtempo, rock sound. It's tonally uneven, but it has its own merit, even if it did kickstart a rather poor trend of Keith's flag-waving patriotism throughout the early 2000's.

Unleashed also bears my personal favorite Toby Keith song, and one of my favorite songs, of all time, "Beer for My Horses," a song I instantly fell in love with when I was a child and still can't help but singalong with whenever I hear it. It's a simple but brilliant story of two detectives, one a seasoned vet (Willie Nelson, who is a guest on the song) and the other his wise but still relatively inexperienced son, attempting to identify and arrest a man who has been strangling prostitutes all over Manhattan. The music video details much better backstory than the song (which concerns more the detective force, old and new customs on the force, the kind of work the men deal with, and so on). The context built around the song through the music video, however, isn't essential because Keith and Nelson make the song work on their own thanks to the strong singing and songwriting together. Keith's baritone vocals work well with Nelson's raspier southern drawl that it's a shame that these two never teamed up to do a collaboration album. "Beer for My Horses," nonetheless, is a sublime country song in every way, right down to its infectious instrumentation.

The other single on Unleashed that helped propel Keith to certain stardom was "Who's Your Daddy?," the lesser known of the three songs, but an average mix of Keith's charm and witty lyricism. However, Keith does something unique and unexpected with Unleashed, as he effectively blends his contemporary style of brashness and witticisms with his original, debut style of crooner country music that was ballady and focused on acoustic guitars. Songs like "Losing My Touch" and "Rock You Baby" almost feel as if they were left on the floor from his album Blue Moon, which was almost entirely made up of slow, glacially-paced country ballads. These songs, after about four or five in a row, prove to be a bit of a muchness, but not without purpose, as it shows Keith's still firmly in touch with his roots and still holds a true talent for simple songwriting.

Unleashed serves as a reminder to even the staunchest Keith haters that despite firmly entering in the mainstream, Keith, however, did not compromise his style. And even in his later years, began to change it up right after he had a built in fanbase, showing the versatility that many probably assumed he lacked. There's a lot of good to come out of this album, and it's surprising to note a great deal comes from the album's singles.

Recommended tracks: "Beer for My Horses," "It Works for Me," "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American)," and "Rock You Baby."

[StevePulaski]

Shock'n Y'all (2003)
By: Toby Keith

Rating: ★★½

Shock'n Y'all may be Toby Keith's most inconsistent album I have yet to hear, which is upsetting considering the promise it had from its first single/first track on the album. "I Love This Bar," to this day, is one of Keith's biggest hits; a masterful tune about Keith, a passive observer of humanity inside one of his favorite bars one crowded Saturday night. "We got winners, we got losers, chainsmokers, and boozers," Keith sings, with his deep, macho, baritone voice that makes you feel as if the smell of beer and the air of cigarette smoke is wafting around you while you listen to the song. Following that hit up are a hodgepodge of hit and miss tunes, concluding with two live songs, as Keith's album so often do, that are downright peculiar and unlike anything Keith has ever done musically.

Shock'n Y'all's best hits are ones that never came close to being successful, much less singles. Those are songs like "Don't Leave, I Think I Love You," a powerhouse tune about a man recalling the one that got away from him right when it's too late, and "Nights I Can't Remember, Friends I'll Never Forget," an all too close-to-home track for many of us, about those long nights with people we hold near and dear to our hearts despite the events of such night slipping our minds.

Keith gets passive-aggressive on "The Critic," which seems directed at any music critic who has given his album a poor review but turned around and gave a band "nobody knows" a glowing review (because there's no way they're good if the mainstream public has never heard about them, right?). While it's a questionable track, acoustic and glacial-paced, it's not as bad as songs like the annoying "Sweet," with its vocal/instrumental fluctuations when the titular word is spoken and "If I Was Jesus," which just misses the mark entirely.

If not for "I Love This Bar," Shock'n Y'all is arguably most known for "American Soldier," an okay country tune about the life of a typical soldier on the frontlines for the United States. Listening to this album in its entirety in the present day reminds us how deeply patriotic and outspoken Keith used to be before (around 2007) mellowing out and sticking to traditional country sounds and lyrics, as well as experimenting. His fanbase likely enjoyed Shock'n Y'all at the time for its down-home safeness, but after hearing what Keith could do in the early-to-mid 1990's and the later 2000's, Shock'n Y'all doesn't cut it by any stretch.

Recommended tracks (in order): "I Love This Bar," "Nights I Can't Remember, Friends I'll Never Forget," "Don't Leave, I Think I Love You," and "American Soldier."

[StevePulaski]

Honkytonk University (2005)
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."

[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."

[StevePulaski]

Big Dog Daddy (2007)
By: Toby Keith

Rating: ★★★

Toby Keith's Big Dog Daddy strips away all the risks, the variety, and the weaving in and out between country subgenres back into a reassured, hardcore country singer. Big Dog Daddy is probably the simplest, most straight-forward Toby Keith album I have yet to hear, but that in no way makes it a poor listen. In fact, by being so structurally and tonally basic, it allows for Keith's true talents as a song-writer to come through, with a blend between rollicking country jams and a few more cynical heartbreak songs, unlike anything he has ever done before.

Kicking off the album is its strongest track, "High Maintenance Woman," about a maintenance worker at a hotel who's eye is caught by the gorgeous guest, who says little but boasts a lot, and dually noting she is high-maintenance by her mannerisms and the way she dresses. "A high maintenance woman don't want no maintenance man," Keith sings to conclude the song's chorus, iterating a sad but truthful trait about most women of money and vice-versa. The souls that could manage to take care of us, despite coming from a lower-end socioeconomic/job status, are the ones we're more likely to overlook and shortchange. Similarly, Keith's "Wouldn't Want to Be Ya" concerns a man who travels all across the land, but anxiously awaits to see a flame he shares shots of tequila with in one particular hot spot of his. Despite their connection, the song's title rings in and she reminds him that even though she likes him, she certainly would never want to be him, etching a tiny bit of sadness into an uptempo ditty.

Keith gets surprisingly cynical with songs like "Walk it Off," in which he's talking to the audience like they've recently been through a rough heartbreak and telling them there's nothing they can do about it now, so they might as well just walk alone and walk it off, in an unexpectedly direct manner. "White Rose," another slowburn tune in addition to "Walk it Off," concerns the nostalgia of an old service station that has been closed for years, despite the fact that it's oscillating sign still operates, attracting people to an empty, abandoned station. Keith really shows off his songwriting abilities, concocting an environment that, more likely than not, has been witnessed by the audience of this CD. This kind of relatability and connection to his fanbase is what keeps Keith's longevity going in the music business, in addition to this brooding voice and boisterous style of country music.

The titular track, in this case, while corny, and able to produce a few cringes, still has its moments of being charming, if slight, and the album doesn't start to sound winded until the end, with songs like "Burnin' Moonlight" and "Hit It" (especially) feeling like thrown-together tunes to suffice an already short album. Even with the inclusion of these two tracks, Big Dog Daddy is not deterred too heavily, as the songwriting/singing abilities of Keith still come through with most of the tracks, especially in the sense of giving us a taste of why he has made it so far in such a big, crowded genre.

Recommended tracks (in order): "High Maintenance Man," "Wouldn't Want to Be Ya," "Walk it Off," and "White Rose."

[StevePulaski]

That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy (2008)
By: Toby Keith

Rating: ★★★

In the early 2000's is when the critical acclaim for Toby Keith and his brand of country turned into a flurry of hate and contempt, largely due to his political songs and overly patriotic themes that were appealing to the lowest common denominator of country music principles. After three lesser albums in a row, he came out swinging with Honkytonk University, probably his most rock-heavy album to date despite its title, the more humble and experimental White Trash With Money, and the cocky and blustering Big Dog Daddy. With That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy, he continues his stride in yet another alternate direction, this time, assuming more of a blues sound with his music, infusing the principles of that genre with his contemporary country roots. The titular track, which I expected to be a somber tune of lost love, is actually an uptempo, quickly paced, harmonic-infused barroom ditty, followed up by "Creole Woman," a more head-nodding tune with brash guitar and drums and Keith's perfectly timed rhymes to his layered instrumentation and "God Love Her," an old-fashioned romp about a woman falling in love with the guy from the wrong side of the tracks.

The midsection of That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy is filled with softer melodies, which usually find themselves sprinkled throughout Keith's albums rather than being the real meat of them, and most of them work because of their authentic instrumentation mixed with Keith's trademark rugged vocals. "She Never Cried in Front of Me" is a tune you have to try hard not to relate to, about a man who notices his ex-girlfriend is getting married and wallowing at the fact that he never knew anything was wrong between the two of them because she never expressed her emotions openly to him and "Lost You Anyway" has a double-timed drum set to a contemplative tune about simply being down for the count in the love game. Keith, however, does just enough walking through softer, melodic country to deliver a song like "Time It Would Take," which boasts the rowdier sound and unique flow you know Toby Keith for.

Judging by the title, one would assume this is an album filled with traditionalist barroom weepers and contemplative melodies along the lines of genre-patriarch Guy Clark. While the latter part is true, the former isn't, as Keith, per usual, infuses new sounds, harmonies, and rhymes into an album and creates an effective piece of bluesy country fun with That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy.

Recommended tracks (in order): "Time It Would Take," "God Love Her," "That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy," "She Never Cried in Front of Me," and "Cabo San Lucas."

[StevePulaski]

American Ride (2009)
By: Toby Keith

Rating: ★★★

Coming down from the unconditional bluster of his previous releases such as the subversive White Trash With Money and the swag-laced Big Dog Daddy, Toby Keith unearths the softer, more melodic side of his character that we haven't seen quite as prolifically of recent as we do with American Ride. Consider the titular track, which initially made me cringe just from the title, as I feared it would be another pandering, celebratory track of America's greatness with empty patriotism. However, the track is much more iconoclastic and critiquing than I ever thought, with Keith brazenly pointing out the shortcomings of the country, the pitfalls and the nightmare that has become the American Dream, and the lack of respect that has taken place in the family. While the song isn't the album's masterwork - its rough and tumble sound is a unique albeit uneven way to approach the subject matter - it definitely made me grin when I thought of the direction Keith could be headed.

While American Ride doesn't feature more elements of criticizing American values in such a ribald manner like its titular track, it serves as being a welcomed stroll through the realms of country and even soft-rock, as Keith hits melodies and strikes chords comparable to Bob Seger on tracks like "Gypsy Driftin'," a four minute, ramblin' track. Other big winners are "Every Dog Has Its Day," the playful anthem for anyone who has been on good luck's opposing end that is almost a foreshadow of where Keith would go on his next album, Bullets in the Gun, with a more rollicking persona, in addition to the uplifting but quietly sad "Woke Up on My Own," about a man who finally wakes up without the assistance of alcohol or substances following his woman leaving him, and "If I Had One," which shows that Keith can merge swagger and soft-country to great effect.

Throwaway tracks come in the form of "Loaded," a drearily derivative track that sounds like a cut-and-pasted version of old Keith melodies and reject nineties rock and the saccharine tune "Tender As I Want to Be," yet again affirming Keith's softer side to middling results. However, by the time "Ballad of Balad" closes out the album with its vulgar, spoken-word charm, such sins are almost forgiven as the album proves it can roll past its shortcomings quite seamlessly. American Ride doesn't have that defining Keith sentiment, however, nor does it have a string of winners that simply fit together and create a sturdy, dependable midsection for the album to rest on (perhaps one of the biggest perils if one chooses to crank out an album every year). Yet, the album, yet again, shows Keith's willingness to change styles if something feels repetitive, and once more, proves him as an unfairly bashed singer capable of many varieties within the same, often confined, genre.

Recommended tracks (in order): "Every Dog Has Its Day," "Ballad of Balad," "American Ride," and "Woke Up on My Own."

[StevePulaski]

Bullets in the Gun (2010)
By: Toby Keith

Rating: ★★★½

After getting on my last Toby Keith high in 2012 following the release of his sixteenth studio album Hope on the Rocks, I immediately doubled back to a few of his other recent releases, one of them being Bullets in the Gun. After about two or three songs, I recall being bored and shutting the album off, returning to Hope on the Rocks. Three years later, with more context put to Keith's career along with a few little life experiences under my belt, I return to Bullets in the Gun and emerge with a glowing recommendation. This is one of Keith's most impressive albums to date, as there's no bad or average song in the entire set; everything is a rollicking, free-spirited good time and an incredibly fun trip down a trail that Keith loves to blaze and conquer.

The titular track kicks off things in a darker, broodier mood, but the album descends back into Keith's good-natured comfort zone quite quickly. His tone, however, seems more brash on this album, a bit more assertive, right down to the serious look he bears on the album cover and a thicker, fuller beard. This is one of Keith's most assertive works in terms of sticking to tried and true country, equipped with all the sounds, instrumentation, and lyricism that have made the genre what it is today. "Somewhere Else," the album's third and final single, makes its presence early and echoes that of "Blue Bedroom," a cut off of Keith's 1999 album How Do You Like Me Now?!, as it details the effects of a woman leaving the man and going about his day without her. Keith remarks how his bedroom is as cold as the TV dinner he is eating, and the only things he has to look forward to are a cigarette and his traditional beer and shot of Johnnie Walker Black Label at the local bar. I love these kinds of songs because they tackle loneliness and sadness without being too preachy or wrapped up in a sense of emotionally manipulative trite. Telling it like it is is a specialty of Keith's, whether you like it or not, and "Somewhere Else" does so in an impressively serious and realistic manner.

"Trailerhood," another single, yet again proves Keith can nail descriptions of a culture and its inhabitants in an infectious and honest manner, detailing the antics brought on by those living in a trailer park, "Think About You All of the Time" infuses a blues sound into traditional country lyrics about a man who no longer misses his ex-girlfriend, but still constantly thinks about her, and "Drive it on Home" is so heavy with the guitars and the drums it's less country and more straight up rock and roll. Keith's ability to pull so much together in such little time (less than forty minutes, not counting the four throwaway live tracks on the deluxe edition), that's it no wonder he has the longevity and creativity freedom to essentially do what he wants with his albums.

This is also one of the few Toby Keith albums that doesn't bear that many softer, more emotional ballads. Probably the strongest one of the like is "Kissin' in the Rain," reflecting on the youthful days where Keith and a gaggle of pals would go up to a lake, meet girls, and wind up sharing romantic encounters in the pouring rain. Again, the ability to evoke a sense of nostalgia is another fantastic trait Keith bears, but rather than using it to milk emotions, he uses it to tell stories and help audiences almost create memories through songs. Bullets in the Gun, overall, would be a beautiful introduction for someone who lost touch with Toby Keith or brewed animosity following his comments about the Iraq War. He reminds that, while times change and opinions on him are divisive, his music still stands by itself as lean, mean, and full of energy and talent.

Recommended tracks (in order): "Somewhere Else," "Drive it on Home," "Trailerhood," "Think About You All of the Time," and "Kissin' in the Rain."

[StevePulaski]

Clancy's Tavern (2011)
By: Toby Keith

Rating: ★★★½

Toby Keith's Clancy's Tavern is the homiest album he has yet to make, and when I say that, I mean this is an album that transmits down-home vibes like any I've ever heard before. This album feels like Keith's personal setlist for the local, mom and pop tavern or the hole-in-the-wall bar downtown that never draws a fraction as much as the nightclub, but has more customer loyalty than that place could ever hope. Having frequented a great deal of small and large bars over the years with my father, I know the environment, the clientele, and the atmosphere all too well, and part of me, next time I go to the local town hole-in-the-wall, just wants to get about six dollars, waltz over to the jukebox, and play every song on Clancy's Tavern just to affirm this belief.

Following the rather lukewarm success of his previous album, the underrated and thoroughly strong Bullets in the Gun, it would appear that Keith has tried to strip his music down to what makes him successful, which is why Clancy's Tavern has songs about drinking and the drinking lifestyle as its primary makeup. It's as if Keith is trying to replicate the success of one of his biggest hit singles, "I Love This Bar," and the album's titular tune is so good as a storytelling song and a totally immersive, slice-of-home experience that, I feel, it fares better than the aforementioned song. "Clancy's Tavern" tells of the old tavern Keith used to frequent, speaking highly of the owner, the floor/kitchen staff, and the "welders, the drivers, and the old 95ers" who made up the joint. The song is entirely infectious, and put to Keith's mellow and wholly effective guitar, it's a tune that demands being replayed a few times. It may indeed be one of my favorite Toby Keith songs (but that's a list for another day).

Even the more mainstream tracks, like the uproariously funny and nostalgic "Beers Ago," measuring how time marches on by the number of longnecks been downed since a certain event, and "Red Solo Cup," an ode to the wonderful, blood-red plastic device that comes in handy during parties and get-togethers, are soaked with humor and good-natured fun, never becoming too repetitive or whitewashed in their own quasi-experimental, desperate-need-to-sound-relevant attitude. Keith keeps the humor coming on the album, singing "Red Solo Cup" like he's slightly-inebriated (even taking shots at Freddie Mac) and saying such lines as "if women come a dime a dozen, I ain't got a penny" on the infectious "Tryin' to Fall in Love."

Keith dabs back into old habits of tiresome patriotism on the song "Made in America," but thankfully not in an emotionally manipulative way, just a questionably relevant way. Thankfully, the album is more concerned with environments and atmospheres along the lines of the tavern that Keith is dedicating this album to, with other tunes like "Club Zydeco Moon" fondly reminiscing about loves gone past and "I Need to Hear a Country Song" nicely replicating that worn feeling you get during a heartbreak when all you want to do is hear a song that exudes some sense of empathy.

Clancy's Tavern isn't as raucous as Bullets in the Gun, which saw Keith incorporate hard rock and fast-paced country music at times, whereas this particular effort remains consistently mellow through and through. It's a breezy listen, but don't mistake that as being unsubstantial and basic. It's a delightful mix of humor, nostalgia, and nicely-conceived storytelling, and creates the down-home feel necessary to make an album like this succeed.

Recommended tracks (in order): "Clancy's Tavern," "Beers Ago," "Tryin' to Fall in Love," "Red Solo Cup," and "I Need to Hear a Country Song."